Barton saga
by littlelunaeve
Summary: Written by VF142 For the now abandoned Roughneck Forum  currently out of order
1. The Stranger Among Us

The Stranger Among Us  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Leonard Barton had been part of the Buenos Aires High School baseball team and a student at the school for two years since he moved down from Florida. During that time, he hadn't made very many friends. He was a loner in every sense of the word. A quiet, bespectacled fellow, he was not known as a social butterfly.

Rico hadn't really noticed the man until they both signed on with the Mobile Infantry. The two were bunkmates, but Rico couldn't really remember getting even two words out of Barton.

So it is safe to say Rico was quite surprised when Barton actually initiated a conversation with him.

It started when Dizzy saw him writing a letter. "For Carmen. How sweet." Diz said sarcastically. Barton was lying on his bunk writing a letter as well.

"Long distance relationship, huh." Barton said, "Ain't gonna last."

"Whoa, Silent Man speaks." Diz said.

"I am a man of few words." Barton said, "But I'll tell you this. It's a gurantee women will break you in some way."

"Attitude City." Flores volunteered.

"You say it's an attitude." Barton said, "Well, it's the truth."

"Haven't you ever had a girlfriend?" Rico asked.

"No." Barton said, "But I did really care for someone."

"Really, is she who you're writing to?" Flores said.

"None of your business." Barton said, and tried to conceal the letter.

Too late, Flores pulled it from his hands and read it. "Her name's Melissa. You really miss her, don't you?"

"What's it to you?" Barton asked.

"She didn't want you." Flores said.

"Why is that any business of yours." Barton replied.

"Because you don't have to get an attitude because one girl rejected you." Rico said.

"What makes you say that?" Barton said.

"Let's just say I've seen you write these letters with her name adressed on the for the past few weeks." Rico said, "She hasn't written back, which means she rejected you."

"Has Carmen written you?" Barton replied defensively.

"Hey, Lenny, I'm trying to help you." Rico said.

"Well, this is my problem, not yours." Barton replied and stalked off.

"What's his malfunction?" Rico asked.

"I think I know." Flores replied, "I'll have to dig deeper into this 'Mysterious Stranger' motif Lenny's cultivated over the years."


	2. The Letter

The Letter  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

"Mail call." said a corporal instructor. The recruits dropped what they were doing to receive letters from parents, friends, loved ones, and anyone else.

"Barton. Rico. Flores." the instructor said as he passed the mail to the eager recipients.

Dizzy Flores watched as Barton read his letter from home. Could that letter be from Melissa, the girl Barton seemed to be so in love with. She watched as Barton's expression grew stony and he took the letter and shoved it into his pocket.

'To hell with just watching.' Diz thought. "Lenny. She finally wrote you back?"

"Diz," Barton replied, "Leave me alone!"

"No need to get defensive." Flores replied.

"Look, Diz, I'm going through quite a bit of trouble right  
>now." Leonard replied.<p>

"Wanna talk about it, Lenny?" Flores asked.

"It's nothing to worry about." Barton replied.

"Nothing to worry about?" Diz replied, "Your a trooper Barton. When you botch your play, I botch mine. What bothers you bothers me and all the others."

"Touching." Barton replied.

"Just tell me about Melissa, Lenny, it'll get it off your back."

"Okay." Leonard Barton said, with a resigned sigh, "I've liked her since I went to school at Orlando High School, back in Florida. She didn't want me at all. She was really in love with this guy, he's an MI named Alan Reinman, he was our high school football hero. I can only imagine what she thinks of me."

"What was that letter about?" Dizzy asked.

"She basically said to stop writing her. She said we should just be friends, but she did nothing but ignore me for years. That's why I'm such a jerk about love, Diz. All this stress that's been eating away at me for years. My dad kept telling me to date Lyse Johanson, this choir girl at our school. I had no interest in her, but dad kept pressing the matter. It turns out, Lyse had this crush on me. I didn't want her in that way. She kept saying I should give up on Melissa. But the thing is, I've got it bad for Melissa, just the way Rico has it bad for Carmen." Barton said as the recruits began to muster for their tech class.

That last statement cleared up a lot of the mystery behind Leonard Barton for Dizzy Flores. She was going to tell Rico about this later.


	3. Conversation

Conversation  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Mealtime, one of the few times in Boot Camp where drill instructors weren't scrutinizing everything you did. Dizzy Flores took her tray full of food and claimed a seat in front of Rico.

"Johnnie, looks like I found out what's eating Lenny."  
>Diz said.<p>

"What is it?" said Rico, after swallowing a mouthful of what passed for mashed potatoes.

"That girl that he keeps writing to, Melissa, she just brushed him off." said Diz.

"So that's why he's such a jerk about love." said Rico.

"I was right, all this time." Diz said, "Ever since he came to school with us, I knew he was having girl problems."

"Remember those days Diz." Rico said, which was odd, since she never knew him to be the sentimental type.

'Basic must REALLY be getting to him.' Diz thought, 'Now he's turning into a sentimental Rico.'

"Yeah, I remember when you got nailed in the stomach by that line drive during the Regional Championship." Diz laughed.

"I did not." said Rico.

"You were leading off of first, and it turned out Lenny drove one that way, right into your stomach." Diz said, "Ouch!"

"Okay, fair's fair." said Rico.

Another person joined them at the table just then, a familiar bespectacled face, Leonard Barton. "More brute honesty, Diz?"

She saw a ghost of a grin that quickly disappeared into a frown. Another recruit walked by, the named Reinmann visible on his nametag. "Well if it isn't Mr. Wonderful." Barton growled, almost inaudibly.

"Whoa, hostile." Rico said.

"I hope they don't assign you and Reinmann together, Lenny." Flores said, "You guys are bad enough in Basic."

"So, what's the story with Reinmann?" Rico asked.

Barton glowered at Rico. "Sorry I asked." Rico said.

"Johnnie, it's a classic rivalry. Just like..."  
>Diz began.<p>

"Okay, get off that subject." Rico said, his face a light shade of red.

"Interesting how your face turns that perfect shade of maroon when I even start to talk about Carmen." said Diz.

"Diz, have mercy." Rico replied.

Barton suppressed a grin. "Someone's enjoying this immensely." Diz replied.

"Enjoying what?" said another voice, as Carl Jenkins joined the fray.

"It's someone Rico has a crush on." Barton said, temporarily forgetting his troubles.

"Who? Carmen?" Carl replied.

Rico hunched forward in a vain attempt to hide a face that was a light shade of red, again. "Red, the color of passion." Barton grinned, "This is rather appropriate."

"Sadists." Rico said, laughing and embarassed.

If anything, Barton was glad that his stress could be suspended by light and casual conversation. He did something that Rico, Flores and Jenkins had rarely seen him do, he smiled, a big toothy grin.

'Progress.' thought Flores.


	4. Meditations

Meditations  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Jungle survival training, the third to last week of boot training. From Camp Currie, the recruits were ferried to the Solomon Islands, near the old World War II battlefield  
>of Guadalcanal.<p>

As the troopers disembarked, they split into two teams, preparing for a week long simulated jungle war.

By and by, fortifications were completed, barricades erected, and posts assigned. Being off duty gave a recruit a lot of time to think.

Leonard Barton sat down on the edge of a group of his fellow off duty troopers. His armored hand touched a leaf, delicately and the leaf folded in.

'Why must conflict exist in this world? The land to war with the sea. The predator with the prey.' Barton thought.

Carl Jenkins hunkered down beside him. "Deep thinking?"

"Not really." Barton replied, "I'm just thinking what a nice place this is."

"Nice place?" Johnnie Rico said, "Hardly. 100 degree heat, no prob. Creepy bugs, big problem. Nothing out here, big problem."

"Rico, I like the way these people, the natives, have this peaceful way about them. They live in harmony with the island. Aside from the occassional storm, this place is paradise." Barton replied.

"If you like drinking the air instead of breathing it." Flores jumped in.

"He's a Floridian, he has gills." Rico replied.

"Hey." Barton replied.

"Well, fishboy, you'd be at home here then." said Flores, "So, thinking of retiring here."

"Possibly." Barton said.

"On the bounce troopers!" said a voice, interrupting the conversation, Zim.

"Army sweet army." Barton said, with a small grin.


	5. Barrage

Barrage  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Bug plasma, a destructive force against trooper and ship alike. It rained down onto several MI troopers from the Valley Forge and the Verdun. Troopers were pinned down by a mountain nicknamed Cemetary Ridge by those who survived it.

Leonard Barton ducked his head as fragments of rock and dust were kicked up. Bug plasma exploded around the troopers.

"Gossard, Barton, nuke 'em!" said Lt. Razak.

"No go, LT." Gossard said, as he dodged a particularly large fragment of rock.

"We can't get a clear shot." Barton replied.

A shockwave of another blast rippled and launched a nearby trooper into the air.

"No go ain't an acceptable answer Gossard!" Razak replied.

"Sir, maybe we can draw their fire, just long enough to get a clear shot." Gossard replied.

"Brutto, take Rico, Barton, Flores and Jenkins on a diversionary attack three klicks south of the bug position."  
>Razak ordered.<p>

"Gossard, what happens to the diversionary team?" Razak asked.

"They'll be splattered like a ripe melon." Gossard replied.

"Gossard, Doc, get into firing positions. Higgins, put down that damn camera and provide cover fire." Razak replied.

"Sir yes sir." came the reply.

A horde of hoppers came down and attacked the diversionary force. Barton saw the laser energy that Brutto pumped into them had no effect.

"Sarge!" Barton yelled, "Hit the deck!"

"Wha-!" Brutto said as Barton raised his shotgun and fired a spread of buckshot into the hopper.

The flying bug spun down and crashed. Just then, a brilliant flash of a mini-nuke was visible. Apparently Gossard and Doc had hit their targets.

The diversion raced back to the positions of their squads, the hoppers in pursuit. "Scratch a few plasma bugs." Flores said.

"We've only just begun." Barton said grimly, indicating the hopper bugs.


	6. Invisible Sun

Invisible Sun  
>By Martin Guiterrez<p>

The Roughnecks had just gone through the bug tunnels on Pluto, leaving the surviving members of Grizzly Squad to cover their rear.

The wave of hopper bugs was just the beginning. A horde of warriors bubbled out of the tunnels like rats lured by rotted meat.

Leonard Barton saw the unit medic, Doc Kenner, attempting to heal a wounded Lt. Gainor.

Sergeant Galyshev, a tough looking character from Russia, took over. "Hold them with everything you've got, men. We've got to keep these damn bugs from getting Razak's guys from behind."

Six warrior bugs broke the trooper perimeter and tore Private Matthews apart. Suddenly the ground literally fell out underneath the troopers sending all of Grizzly Squad underground.

Razak was made aware of this sudden rendzvous when chunks of rock fell from the ceiling and Grizzly Squad landed at his feet.

"Sarge, the bugs," said Barton, to Galyshev, "They're not chasing us."

"Maybe they know something we don't." said Galyshev.

Just as he spoke, the Roughnecks and Grizzlies emerged into a massive crater full of eggs. A large shadow blotted out the stars. A strange bug that appeared to be a ship arrived on the planet, dropping down several adult bugs.

"What do we do?" said Private Vargas, of Grizzly Squad.

"Kill 'em! Kill 'em all!" Rico shouted.

"Let 'em have it apes!" Razak shouted.

So many bugs were falling that they piled on top of one another. But so many more kept on coming that they formed an arachnid tidal wave into the MI Troopers.

Barton's pulse rifle ran out and the bugs were too close to even consider reloading. He pulled his shotgun from his body armor and fired a cloud of flechettes into the bugs.

The cloud of small metal darts weren't deadly individually, but they were extremely deadly in large numbers.

A retreival ship landed amidst the confusion and the troopers got onboard. After nearly 72 hours of fearsome combat, Leonard Barton felt drained.

'There has to be a source of hope somewhere. A sort of invisible sun. Something that gives us all hope no matter how shitty things are.' Barton thought.


	7. The Last Brother

The Last Brother  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The Valley Forge, seventy two hours after the Skinnies had shown their true colors. The 9th Battle Group was in orbit around the planet.

Barton had been reassigned to another unit, Starle's Sabers, because on Pluto, Gainor died in the middle of the retrieval operation.

He lay awake on his bunk, writting a letter. As he did so, two of his squad mates walked by. One was a tall fellow with a New York accent, an Italian American named Mazzola. The other was another private, Edgar Schultz.

"Think we gonna catch an air attack." said Mazzola.

"What do you want me to tell you, Mazzola. Roughnecks didn't see no hoppers on Tophet. But then again, we got up on a whole shitload of Ripplers on Hydora." said Schultz.

"You're a great help Schultz. Nothing, tell me nothing." said Mazzola.

"You ain't watching the action?" Barton asked, not looking up from his writing.

"Ain't you?" Mazzola said.

"Ain't interested. Why the hell would I want to be watching Fleet jets launching missiles that supposedly kill bugs before we get down to business?" Barton replied.

"Can't answer that for you." Schultz said, "I just started my psychology degree at Harvard, I can't analyze you yet. Then this war broke out, and I have to put my academic plans on hold."

"You're a hell of a lot luckier than I am, Schultz." said Mazzola, "When I signed up in this man's army back in the Bronx, I did it so I could get money for college. How was I supposed to know there was gonna be a #%$ war, ah? Answer me that?"

"I can't tell you Mazzola." said Schultz.

"Well, Schultz, I can tell you this, old Saber Squad's always getting screwed and I can tell you who's fault it is too. It's that LT of ours, Starles." Mazzola replied.

Lieutenant Starles was a man in his early thirties, a caucasian, balding man who looked more like a college professor than a soldier.

"Are you gonna stand here and chit chat all day!" said a voice belonging to none of the three speakers. Sergeant Welsh came in at that moment, "Get your cans in gear, we drop in ten."

The drop ship descended toward Tophet. There was tension etched into the faces of the soldiers aboard. Not only were they facing bugs, but they were facing a new enemy, the Skinnies.

Lt. Starles led his men along the ground as the squad hit dirt. As they did so, Starles received a communication from the battlefield commander, General Redwing.

"Starles, this is Redwing, respond." came the voice.

"Starles here, go ahead ma'am."

"This will make it more clear." said Redwing. On Starles' helmet display was a list of three names. The names were, Private Edward Reynard, Private James Reynard, and Corporal Leon Reynard. Next to each name was the status of each man, KIA, killed in action.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, may I ask why I am being shown this?" Starles asked.

"That's because there is a forth man, Private Calvin Reynard. I will transmit all relevant data regarding Starles now. You must find him because he is a level four telepath, the highest level, a very rare find. Intel has a great need for level four psychics in this theater. Reynard is the only one in this entire theater, his skill could be a great help. Find him at all costs." Redwing replied, "Redwing out."

The men and women of Saber Squad were underway on a dangerous mission into enemy territory. "We're risking our lives over one man, what's the damn point?" said Schultz.

"I dunno. But I told you so, we're gettin' screwed. Starles is gonna #%$ get us killed." Mazzola hissed.

Mazzola felt a blow knock him down, Sergeant Welsh. "You've got something bad to say about the LT, say it to his face, Mazzola. Otherwise button that big New York mouth of yours before I sew it shut."

"Sarge," Barton said, "Why are they risking the lives of the eight of us to save one man?"

"That's for the LT to know, and not you Barton, just do your job." said Welsh.

The line proceeded through a bombed out Skinnie town. They had Private William Desmond on point. Suddenly an electromagenetic pulse knocked Desmond to the ground. At full charge, an electromagnetic pulse can kill, but this one, since it exploded near Desmond, it didn't kill him outright.

"Sniper!" said Barton, who was standing behind Desmond, just out of blast range, "Hit the deck!"

Huddled behind a smashed wall, Starles and his soldiers could only watch as another pulse struck Desmond. They heard the man scream.

Hiding in the bombed out shell of a building, the Skinnie sniper adjusted his aim and fired.

Another scream echoed. "I'll go retrieve Des, sir." said Corporal Farley, the medic.

"Barton, Mazzola, cover Farley." said Starles.

Farley raced to Desmond's location only to be hit, directly with an EMP pulse. The shock coursed through both their bodies, killing them outright.

While this occured, Private Coonan sneaked closer to the building, aimed his rifle at a vague shape moving in the shadows and fired.

The round struck the EMP gun the Skinnie was carrying and it exploded, killing it's bearer. The squad, having lost two of it's number, marched on.

They passed the smashed ruin of a Skinnie radar site. They were almost clear of it when a constrictor shot struck Private Powers in the head, crushing it and killing him immediately.

The remaining five soldiers charged the outpost and dragged out the lone Skinnie. Coonan angrily kicked the Skinnie in the ribs, "You a good soldier, huh! You ain't so tough now you ugly #%$!"

Coonan fired his pistol, the round drilling into the Skinnie's head. "Coonan, god damn it!" Starles shouted, "He was a prisoner. You don't kill prisoners."

"Those #%$ bugs do it all the time." Coonan protested.

"Coonan, we ain't bugs." Starles replied, "We don't stoop down to their level. Let's go on."

As they walked, Barton thought, 'What's this great evil that we call warfare. How did it steal into the world. Mocking us, making dogs out of men, making us kill what we might have known.'  
>They found a lone trooper wandering about the desert. "Who are you? Where's your unit?" Starles asked.<p>

"Private Larry Crater sir. I'm with King's Kodiacs." said the man. He was part of Calvin Reynard's unit.

"Do you know Calvin Reynard. We're here to retrieve him." said Starles.

"Yes sir." said Crater, "He's right this way."

The trooper lead them to the rest of his squad, holding of a pass, keeping Skinnies and Arachnids from getting through.  
>"Private Reynard?"<p>

"Here sir." said a man. He was a lean fellow, with short cropped red hair and a narrow face.

"We're here to retrieve you. Take you back to HQ." said Starles.

"No sir." said the man, "I won't go."

"Hey, #%$." Mazzola said, "Three of our guys are dead because of you. Come along or do I #%$ drag you there."

"Mazzola, stand down!" said Welsh.

"What about Crater, Mitchell, or Wallace, they don't get to go home. Why me?" said Reynard.

"Your brothers are all dead. We've come to collect you." said Starles, keeping up appearances, "You got a free ride home."

"Incoming!" Crater shouted.

Both Sabers and Kodiacs were now battling an horde of approaching hoppers. "Starles to Valley Forge, commence retrieval!"

The men continued their fight as a retrieval ship boosted downward. They herded Reynard aboard and continued.

Looking into the uncertain future, Lt. Starles knew only this, that one man was safe and home, while the rest of his troopers had to go on fighting. Even so, they had completed their mission for SICON HQ, finding the last brother.


	8. The Siege of Mesa 451

The Siege of Mesa 451  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Lt. Razak disembarked from the skimmer, preparing to offload supplies of food, ammo, power cells, and medicines to the troopers holding Mesa 451, strategic high ground.

Suddenly, they came under fire. "Hold your fire, those are MI rifles. I'm Lieutenant Jean Razak, of the Valley Forge."

"You heard him, cease fire!" said Lieutenant Starles.

"We're coming out." said Razak.

Two soldiers came out to meet him. One was from Kodiac Squad, who had just lost it's LT, and the other was from Starles' squad. The Kodiac man was a darkly tanned fellow with the name Gennaro written on his helmet. The Roughnecks recognized the other trooper, Leonard Barton, a bespectacled Floridian who had made several drops alongside them.

"Who told you to open fire?" said Starles.

"I saw movement, thought it was the Skinnies." said Gennaro.

"Do we look like Skinnies to you." Dizzy Flores shouted, "You nearly killed us."

"I told you to hold your fire, that MI troopers were landing with supplies." said Starles.

"Well nobody told me!" Gennaro replied.

"Take it easy Gennaro." said Barton.

"Take it easy! Oh I would love to take it easy! Get me out of this hellhole and I promise you for the rest of my life, I'll at least take it easy!" said Gennaro, "According to SICON regs, we're supposed to be rotated of the frontlines after ninety days. NINETY DAYS! We've been stuck on this rock for five months, lieutenant. Take it easy!"

"Sorry Razak, a little breakdown in communications." said Starles.

"No harm was done." said Razak, "Where do you want the supplies?"

"Gennaro can show you." said Starles.

"Yeah, supplies, that's great! Whatever it takes to get me off this rock!" Gennaro replied and stalked off angrily.

"Welcome to paradise, Razak." Starles said, humorlessly.

Later, Doc LeCroix was treating wounded in the facilities infirmary.

"This is 20ccs of Numinol, that'll take care of the fever and the chest conjestion. And this is 40 ccs of Nembitol, that should take care of the dermal irritation in your back. Better?" said Doc as he treated Gennaro.

"Are you kidding, I ain't felt this good since the day I landed on this rock." said Gennaro.

"Good. Now I need to take a look at this arm." said Doc as he noticed a bandaged wound.

"What the hell are you doing! You keep your hands off this bandage!" Gennaro replied as he shoved his pistol into Doc's face.

"I need to treat your wound." said Doc.

"Nobody touches this bandage! Understood?" Gennaro asked.

"Why is that?" Doc asked.

"I asked you if you understood!" Gennaro replied.

"Yes." Doc replied.

"Braun put this bandage on me, he ripped up his own uniform to make it." Gennaro replied.

"He sounds like a good friend." said Doc.

"He was a jerk, I couldn't stand the guy. He always thought he was the greatest. He even muscled in on my girl back home. I know, he's dead, and I should have more respect. But God I hated him! One minute he's tying this bandage around my arm, talking his head off. And the next minute, he's lying flat on his back with a hole in his chest. And I just sat there and I looked at him. He was so quiet! One time in his life, he's quiet!" Gennaro said and broke down.

"I still need to treat your wound." said Doc. Gennaro grudgingly removed the bandage, still in an emotional state.

Later, Doc met Razak, "Lieutenant, can I have a moment? These people's physical and mental health is precarious at best. They need more than a little ammo and food, they need to be shipped out of here."

"Doc, I understand that, but there's little I can do." said Razak, "Except have us stay and reinforce them."

Later: "We need to know how many Skinnies and bugs are in the area and where they are." Razak said as Gossard was tinkering with a scanning unit.

"You won't learn anything with a bioscanner, that's for sure." said Starles, "The Skinnies have figured out how to jam them. Except they have an advantage, they know where we are."

"Except they don't know our numbers or defensive positions." Gossard quipped.

"Right Goss." said Razak.

"Here they come!" said Brutto. The troopers fired volleys into the charging ranks of Skinnies.

"There's something wrong!" Rico said, "They're not firing."

"Hold your fire!" Starles shouted.

The Skinnies suddenly vanished into thin air. "Where'd they go!" a rattled Gennaro yelled.

"They weren't here to begin with." said Razak.

"Holograms." said Barton.

"It was a way to see what they were up against. Determine our numbers." Razak replied.

"And pinpoint our positions." Rico said.

"Without risking any casualties, smart." Brutto said.

"Oh yeah, they're smart alright and we're as good as DEAD!" Gennaro replied.

"Not yet we aren't." said Razak, "Welsh, I'm sending you, Barton and Gossard out on a scouting patrol, we need to find out the Skinnie and bug attack plan."

"Yes sir!" came the reply.

For nearly three hours, the team observed Skinnie positions. "It's time to go." said Welsh.

As they did, a constrictor hit Welsh and he died instantly. Gossard and Barton beat hastily to the Mesa.

"Welsh?" said Starles.

"Dead." Barton replied.

"How many troops?" Razak asked.

"Two columns." said Gossard.

"How we ever gonna hold off two columns?" said Gennaro.

"I'm working on it." said Razak.

Later: "This is our camp, this is theirs. There are mountains to the east and west. This means they have to go through this ravine to get to us." said Gossard.

"Gossard, fill that ravine with motion sensitive mines." said Razak.

"Make sure they're triggered by lots of movement, Goss." said Brutto, "We want that ravine full of Skinnies and bugs when they go off."

The mines were installed and all the troopers had left to do was wait. Presently the troopers were alerted by blasts.

"Maybe they're not coming. Maybe they're turning back. Maybe we got 'em all." said Gennaro.

The sounds of bug screeching and shouting Skinnies shot the theory to bits. "Fire at will!" said Razak.

The soldiers battled the attacking horde, but the Skinnies and bugs valuted over the first barricade and infiltrated the compound.

Gennaro was fighting a Skinnie hand to hand and knocked the alien dead with the butt of his rifle. Another Skinnie jammed a force prod on full power, a lethal setting to even an armored trooper, into Gennaro's back. Gennaro telescoped downward, dead.

Razak knocked a Skinnie to the ground and felt a heavy impact that knocked him down as well. Later, "You alive? Lieutenant, are you with us?" said Dizzy.

"I'm alright Flores." said Razak as he surveyed the compound. The only Skinnies and bugs in the area were dead ones.

"We held." said Razak.

"Those were our orders sir." Barton replied, with a world weary expression.

Replacements did arrive later, in another skimmer. "Children." Brutto said.

"Not for long, sergeant." said Razak.

"Let's go." said Starles.


	9. Grey Dawn

Grey Dawn  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The fog hadn't lifted on the parched surface of Tophet. Fleet jets had been dropping bombs in and around the Skinnie base throughout the night, cutting off bug reinforcements.

General Redwing and seventeen squads were in the area to take this massive Skinnie base. "Starles, your squad is on point. Listen up, this is the first component of Operation Chokehold. Our objective is to take the city where the Skinnies have been supplying their army. If we take that base, the Skinnies and the bugs will have a hard time reinforcing their positions on the western side of this mountain range. We move out now."

"Alright apes!" said Sergeant Zim, as he kicked Mazzola awake, "You heard the general."

Starles' Sabers had been reinforced. Aside from Zim, most of his new recruits were fresh out of Boot. "Barton, take point."

"Yes sir." Barton said. He tucked his Morita away and pulled out his shotgun. In the fog, one couldn't see more than half a meter in front.

Colonel T'Phai looked out at the line of soldiers standing between the city and the pass that the Mobile Infantry attack was supposed to come from. All through the night, Fleet Jets had bombed the living daylights out of the Skinnies. His men held their constrictor rifles at the ready, awaiting their foes.

Mazzola moved his Morita in a sweeping arc, he couldn't see anything in the fog. He could see the vague shape of Fife, Barton, and Schultz off to his right, but aside from that, nothing else.

T'Phai motioned his men to sneak quietly toward the MI line and when they were in position he gave another gesture. The Skinnies charged the MI with savage cries.

A constrictor shot flew past Barton's head. He turned and pumped two rounds of buckshot into the Skinnie. The buckshot punched a gaping hole in the Skinnie's body and the enemy soldier fell dead to the ground.

Mazzola tackled a Skinnie with the butt of his Morita, knocking him to the ground. The Skinnie line began to buckle and collapsed.

With MI troopers in hot pursuit, the Skinnies retreated into the city. Mazzola chased behind them, pistol in hand, his Morita having gone empty a ways back. His pistol bucked in his hand as he shot several fleeing Skinnies in the back.

A constrictor blast flew past Zim from a Skinnie that stood in the open doorway of a building. Zim fired his Morita and there was nothing left of the Skinnie in the doorway but a few flecks of green blood, the Skinnie having been blown back inside by the impact of the Morita rounds.

Valentin, one of Starles' new recruits dropped to one knee next to a seemingly dead Skinnie. He fired two mini-nukes toward a guard tower and another spire. The 'dead' Skinnie sat up and fired an EMP pulse into Valentin's body, killing him outright. Schultz emptied the rest of his clip into the Skinnie.

T'Phai ducked inside a bunker and began to organize a counterattack. Skinnies poured out of the buildings, and charged with more warcries.

Redwing noticed the enemy charging and was reminded of the Japanese banzai charges against American forces on Pacific Islands in the Second World War.

The charging line met with fierce resistance and several Skinnies went down like wheat before a reaper.

All throughout the city, the Skinnie resistance was being neutralized by attacking MI troopers. There were a great many prisoners taken.

Starles' squad was guarding prisoners in some kind of courtyard. One prisoner grabbed Mazzola by his armor, "Get on the ground!"

Another Skinnie prisoner attempted to jump Barton, but was knocked down by the butt of the shotgun. Approximately fifty Skinnie prisoners were lying face down on the ground.

Barton stood and thought, 'War doesn't make men noble, it degrades them. Poisons the soul. It makes us into killers.'

The smoke of burning buildings merged with the fog of the grey dawn as Redwing's troops began the mop up operation. From downloaded data from Skinnie computers, they learned that Colonel T'Phai was in the area. However, he had escaped the city.


	10. Hamburger Hill

Hamburger Hill  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The Valley Forge, enroute to Tesca Nemerosa, cruised through space. Troopers went about their routines aboard ship.

"Hey Fife," said "Trigger" Reilly, a lanky kid of seventeen, "Heard we might be getting one of those Skinnie recruits into our squad."

Gerald Fife turned around and said, "We can't trust those Skinnies. Don't turn your back on 'em for a second or you'll find a knife in it."

The news of the Skinnie recruit spread through the squad like wildfire. The Roughnecks heard a rumor that a Skinnie would be placed in their unit too.

Hand to hand training, a way to work out one's frustrations, to train for combat, or simply a way to keep one's edge. "C'mon, I was just warming up." said Dizzy Flores. T'Phai hung back, watching this.

Fife stood up shakily from the mat, "No thanks, I've had my share of concussions from this. Why don't you fight Mazzola."

"Nah," said Schultz, "Don't do that. Mazzola will massacre her."

"Don't be so sure of that." said Rico, "On the gridiron, she'd take monster hits and keep coming. That's why we call her Dizzy."

"Hey Mazzola." said Schultz.

Tony Mazzola sat up in his bunk, "Yeah."

"Flores wants to take you on in hand to hand. Get over here." said Schultz.

"Good luck Mazzola." Barton said, "She'll massacre YOU."

"Bull." Mazzola said, "Zim maybe, but no one beats me in hand to hand."

"I already know that." Barton replied, "Dizzy's another story. She'd beat up half the guys in my company in hand to hand back in Boot."

In less than thirty seconds, Dizzy knocked Mazzola to the mat. "Was he your best?" Dizzy asked.

"No comment." said Schultz.

Lieutenant Starles walked in at that time, "Apes, with Valentin down, I'm told we're one trooper short. SICON sent us a replacement."

Behind him was a Skinnie and this caused quite an upset among his troopers. "A Skinnie?" Fife said, "We were fighting these no good SOB's on Tophet."

"What are they doin' in our unit." said Schultz.

"Can't trust 'em." Barton said.

"I never bargained for nothin' like this, when I signed up for this man's army back in the Bronx before the war." Mazzola said, "I never bargained for fighting alongside a damn Skinnie."

"Quit bellyaching," said Sgt. Zim, "Barton, rig up a talk box for Private Krul."

"Yes sir." Barton said.

"Alright, get your can's in gear." said Starles, "We drop in an hour."

Aboard the drop ship, Starles began his briefing. "This is Tesca Nemerosa, our destination. The atmosphere is breathable to humans, thus we do not need to be in full power suits this time. The Roughnecks have already taken Zeugama beach so our op is interdiction. This is Hill 572, Hamburger Hill, we call it. The bugs that hold this hill put our troops on Zeugama in danger, we must take it at all costs. Intel has revealed that there are plasma bug positions atop the hill. We must take the hill at all costs. Barton, DiStefano, you're on the Marauders."

The drop was made to take Hamburger Hill. The plasma bugs opened up immediately. The troopers were immediately pinned by exploding bug plasma.

"Magnificent Starles," said Colonel Diennes, "The finest thing these old eyes have seen in a long time."

"Sir, my troopers are pinned by heavy Bug activity. We can't move in at all." Starles said, "Requesting permission for patrol/reconaissance."

A plasma bolt exploding, sending Private Berkholt flying through the air. Berkholt struck the ground hard and shattered his spine. "Starles!" Diennes said, "A frontal attack is the only way we can take that ridge. Now you're not taking your men into the jungle to avoid a fight! Do you read me lieutenant."

"Sir, I have served with these troopers for over a year, I will not order them all to their deaths." said Starles.

"Have your Marauders take out those plasma bug positions." Diennes said.

"Sir, they'll be cut to ribbons before they can attack." Starles said.

"That's an order, Lieutenant." Diennes said.

"Yes sir." Starles replied, "Mazzola, Fife, Trigger, I'm sending you three on a diversionary assault. Maybe Barton and DiStefano can..."

Before Starles could finish his sentance, Private Krul charged forth, shrieking strange warcries.

"He's a Section Eight." Mazzola said.

"Skinnie's gone on the fritzes." said Fife.

"Hold on you pup recruits," Zim said, "Krul looks like he has a reason to be doing what he's doing."

Plasma fire erupted all around the running Skinnie and both Barton and DiStefano armed their rockets and fired their guided weapons toward the plasma bugs who went up in a flash of blue plasma.

"Let's take this hill!" said Zim.

The troopers charged up the hill, the surviving warriors, and spiders putting up a fierce struggle. A flag was eventually placed atop the hill and briefly Starles was reminded of Iwo Jima, a battle very similar to this one.

Private Krul proved himself in battle to all his fellow troopers. Hamburger Hill was secured and the battle for the hills and trails of Tesca Nemerosa continued. But that is a story for another day


	11. Sweep and Clear

Sweep and Clear  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Barrack bull sessions, opinions always freely expressed and frequently shot down as freely by others.

"Sweep and clear. Sweep and clear. Sweep and clear. That's all we ever do." said Mazzola, "We kick the daylights outta the bugs. They hatch more warriors, spiders, you name it. They retake the clearings and hold the jungle. We go out again, a sweep and clear op all over again."

"Sweep and clear, a polite word for search and destroy." said Fife.

"The objective is similar,regardless of name. Is it not?" said Krul.

"Those bugs come out of the underbrush and bushwhack us." Schultz said, "If you ask me, who's doing the searching and destroying."

"It's those bugs, that's who." said Mazzola, "And I could tell you who's fault it is too. It's our LT, Starles. Why don't he bring up those points I brought up at those officer's meetings, huh? Answer me that?"

"An officer's job involes far more than just combat." said Krul, "I served as an aide to Colonel T'Phai on Tophet. Much planning goes into any decision made by an officer. Many such decisions involve how many lives to sacrafice."

"Hey Barton? You gonna back me up here?" said Mazzola.

Leonard Barton sat on his bunk, cleaning his shotgun. "What can I tell you Mazzola. the LT's doing the best he can with a tough job. Let me tell you something, it's the bug's fault, not Starles'" Barton replied.

"Who's side are you on?" Mazzola said.

"Hey, Mazzola. I'm saying it ain't the LT's fault." Barton replied, "You try to command a squad and say it's easy."

"Just 'cause your father's a 1st Sgt. don't mean nothing in my book." Mazzola said, "If he was any good, he wouldn't have wound up with a mechanical leg."

Barton looked daggers at Mazzola, "Don't say that about my dad, I'm warning you."

"Hey, take it easy. It's all the same. You're father screwed..." that was as far as Mazzola got before Barton's fist crashed into his throat and he went down coughing violently.

Krul grabbed Barton's shoulder, "The enemy is the bugs, not Mazzola."

"Got anything else to say about my dad? You say anything to dishonor my family and I'll bash all your teeth out." Barton replied.

Krul turned to Schultz, "I take it Private Barton is quite protective of his family."

"That's the way he is. Family loyalty is prized among his clan." said Schultz.

"Understandable." said Krul.

"Save your hostility for the bugs, Apes!" said Sgt. Zim from out of nowhere. He had witnessed the entire incident.

Mazzola rose shakily, coughing. "Mazzola, Barton, shake hands."

They did so. "Now, if any one of you spouts off, I'll take you out to the beach and kick both your heads in." Zim replied, "Clear?"

"Sir yes sir." said both of them.

Lieutenant Starles entered the barracks, "We move out in ten. Sweep and clear. Barton, DiStefano, prep your Marauders."

On the march, Barton, mounted in his scout marauder, took a glance at his scanner for the fifth time in as many minutes. The entire squad was on edge and it was starting to show.

The mechanical arm of DiStefano's marauder knocked Fife to the ground, "Watch it with that thing!"

"Watch where you stand!" DiStefano replied.

"You think you're invincible in that contraption, don't you!" said Fife, "You think you're...whoa!"

Fife tumbled into a hole. "Tunnel sir." Fife said.

"Since your down there, Fife, map it." said Starles.

"Yes sir." Fife replied.

Fife finished mapping the tunnel, "Sir, the tunnel ends at this clearing, it appears to have originated from bug territory, but I haven't seen any workers down here, maybe it's abandoned." Fife replied.

"DiStefano, cut him a hole." said Starles.

DiStefano lined up his shoulder mounted gatling gun and fired a hole. Fife's head poked out of the hole, his face smeared with dirt.

"Are you blind, DiStefano!" said Fife, "You nearly buried me alive!"

"There's no way in hell I could've done that." said DiStefano, "You were right on my scanners."

"Scanners, gizmos," said Mazzola, "You guys spend too much time in those soda cans."

"What the hell?" Barton said, "Why are you getting mad at me."

"Stow the attitude Mazzola, that's an order." said Zim.

"Yes sir." said Mazzola with a sullen expression.

"What's gotten into this squad?" said Starles.

"Permission to speak freely?" said Zim.

"Permission granted." Starles said.

"Sir, frankly you have appeared indecisive on a number of occassions. You wonder why these men don't respect you. I can site several incidents where you have proven yourself unable to make decisions. The recent attack on Hamburger Hill for one. You didn't have to request that flanking move. DiStefano and Barton had enough cover fire to engage those plasma bugs." Zim said.

Before Starles could reply the tunnel that Fife had just mapped was host to a horde of spider bugs that came flooding out like a plague.

"Bugs! BUGS!" Fife shouted.

DiStefano played his flamethrowers in an arc in front of the squad with Barton firing his rockets at the approaching horde.

A full fledged firefight developed. Starles seemed paralyzed with fear at the moment. "Sir, what are your orders?" Zim said.

Remembering Zim's speech about decisiveness, "DiStefano plug those holes. Barton, cover him."

DiStefano fired half a dozen burrowing rockets into the tunnel and several minutes later, the remaining spiders were retreating through the trees, leaving several of their number as smoking corpses in the clearing.

Perhaps now, the troopers would learn to respect Starles' leadership abilities. Still the battle for the jungles of Tesca Nemerosa continued on inexorably.


	12. Children

Children's Crusade  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The jungle landscape was lighted only by the pale light of a nearby moon. The clearing at the river crossing revealed a bunker, large enough to hold one squad of MI troopers.

That squad was keeping the bugs from crossing the river and attacking Zeugama Beach. At this point, Lieutenant Starles went topside where he had posted two lookouts.

The men of Starles' squad, when compared to the Fleet, with it's old hands and reservists, were younger on average - as young as seventeen and rarely older than twenty two. At thirty seven, Starles was the old man of the squad. But the title of the oldest man in the squad belonged to Sergeant Zim, at forty two years old.

"See anything?" Starles asked Trigger, the youngest man of the squad.

"No sir." said Trigger,two days shy of his eighteenth birthday.

"Keep your eyes peeled." Starles said and went below.

A loud thud echoed through the night. "Outgoing artillery round." Mazzola said.

"Nah, it's incoming." said Fife.

A fierce impact struck near the bunker. "That ain't outgoing." said Fife, grabbing his Morita.

"Incoming!" Trigger shouted through his comm link.

"Bugs!" Barton shouted, he had been standing watch with Trigger topside.

Mazzola reached topside just as a large spider bug came up behind Barton and Trigger. He emptied the clip into the bug and joined the two at the ramparts.

DiStefano and Schultz were followed by the entire squad. A wave of warrior bugs, with a horde of spiders on point, charged forward, attacking the position.

Barton fired an explosive round into a clump of bugs he spotted. Half a dozen spider bugs became charred corpses floating down the river.

A spider bug leaped over the walls, just as Mazzola was reloading. The bug knocked the Italian to the ground and was about to impale him when Trigger fired into the spider's back.

"I'm out." said Mazzola.

"Here, make 'em count." Barton shouted and tossed Mazzola a magazine.

"Aim for their nerve clusters." said Krul. He had only expended half his ammo, yet he killed more bugs than Mazzola had.

"How the hell do you do that?" DiStefano asked, noticing the Skinnie firing in short, accurate bursts.

"The weapons I am accustomed to using, such as the constrictor and EMP gun, have a much slower firing rate than a Morita, thus I am accustomed to aiming rather than simply spraying rounds downrange." Krul replied.

Barton's Morita was starting to go empty and he pulled his pistol from his armor and fired both pistol and Morita into an attacking warrior.

"Air attack!" said Schultz who aimed his weapon toward the sky, where a wave of incoming ripplers dived.

Barton pulled his shotgun, a weapon he preferred against ripplers or hoppers. A spread of 00 Buckshot struck the rippler directly, tearing off a wing, and puncturing it's carapace with dozens of wounds. The rippler spun down and crashed among the horde of warriors where it was trampled to death by the warriors marching single mindedly toward their objective.

Trigger pulled out a grenade and tossed it toward the bugs. The spherical explosive detonated, taking out a dozen bugs instantaneously.

Krul put his Morita aside, and took a flame thrower from his armor. He fired a stream of napalm into the bugs like a fireman hosing a fire. Half a dozen bugs were instantly incinerated and another group was set ablaze to burn to death later. As they staggered back, the burning arachnids touched their hive mates, setting them ablaze as well.

"Good play, Krul." said Zim.

The Skinnie took an EMP gun from his armor and fired it along with his Morita into the bug ranks. The EMP pulse exploded near a group of spiders, killing them outright.

The troopers continued to fight, until the bugs retreated, leaving several of their number floating dead in the river or lying on the banks, too wounded to get away or already dead.

Starles' men looked toward him with world weary expressions. Even Trigger's young face bore such a look.

'This is a children's crusade I lead.' Starles thought. They grew old so quickly in the Mobile Infantry.


	13. Operation Dragonfire

Operation Dragonfire  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Lieutenants Jean Razak, Joe Starles, and Earle Walker were being briefed for an Intel assignment code named Operation Dragonfire. The plan was to launch a newly developed chemical weapon, called Greek Fire, into the bug tunnels and flush every bug out of their tunnels to the surface.

Greek Fire was designed to burn anything it came into contact with, even the ground, and burn intensely for long periods of time. Because of the danger of Bug controlled infiltrators, the briefing room was under armed guard and access was restricted to the three lieutenants involved in the operation.

Even so, the operation's code name gave rise to many speculations.

"I think we'll be clearing out some underbrush again, with napalm." said Schultz.

"I think more than that." said Rico, "If we're just clearing out brush for bugs, then why all the secrecy?"

"Who knows, those brainiacs at Intel will classify the price of our shirts." said Mazzola.

Laughter followed, "Yeah, I bet it's confidential that the quality of food is less then stellar." Barton replied.

"Who the hell would join if they knew about the food?" said Gossard.

"Mazzola maybe." said DiStefano.

"#$& you, DiStefano!" Mazzola replied, "I never bargained for nothing like this when I signed up for this man's army in the Bronx back before the war. How was I supposed to know there was gonna be a damn war?"

"Or Rico." Dizzy replied, "He joined up for a girl."

"Hey." Rico said, turning crimson.

"Mazzola, what did you sign up for?" said Higgins.

"College money." Mazzola replied, "I got into NYU, but my old man was a construction worker, he said we didn't have enough money to pay for it. But when I get my two years in, I can cash in."

"Do you see any two year enrollees being paid off?" Barton said, "Hell, do you see any two year enrollees?"

"None." said Schultz.

"That's right. My pop says those guys fall into two categories, the quickly dead, and the soon to be quickly dead." Barton replied.

"Why?" said Schultz.

"Because they either have smart mouth's and don't take the LT or Sarge's advice, or they think they know it all, or have attitude problems, or all of the above." Barton replied.

"So what about Mazzola?" said Dizzy.

"Mazzola's got a bit of an attitude problem, but if he corrects it, he'll make it." said Zim.

"At least he doesn't have stars in his eyes like Rico does." Gossard ventured.

"More like rocks in his head." said Dizzy.

"If he has rocks in his head, how can Rico be alive." said Krul.

"It is merely an expression among humans, Krul." said T'Phai, "Meaning one has very little in the way of common sense."

"Whoa, even T'Phai agrees Rico." said Brutto, "You do have too many rocks in your head when it involves, dare I say her name, Carmen."

"Guys." Dizzy said, "He's blushing..."

"An understatement if I ever heard one." Barton replied, "His face is practically in the infared/scarlett range of color."

"Are you gonna sit here and chat all day?" Razak said, as he entered the barracks, "Get your cans in gear, we move out in ten."

"Army sweet army." Mazzola muttered.

"Prep the marauders." said Razak.

"Yes sir." said Gossard.

Barton, DiStefano, Gossard, Doc, Fletcher and Mitchell went and prepped their marauders for this three squad operation.

As they were underway in the skimmer, Walker briefed them.  
>"As you know, the bug tunnel network under Tesca Nemerosa is extensive. A recently developed incindiary liquid, codenamed Greek Fire, will burn anything it comes into contact with. The fires will spread rapidly through the bug tunnel network, killing anything it contacts. Those bugs not killed by the flames will be forced to the surface and we have eight squads at all their tunnel evac points to engage anything that goes above ground. Our mission is to release this chemical, from the launchers on the marauders, into these junction points in the bug network. As they are deep underground, we are required to enter the bug network. We will be placed as close as possible to these junctions, but contact with the bugs will be inevitable."<p>

The drop began and the three squads were dropped separately around the three junctions. The Roughnecks and Walker's squad had completed their end, but over the radio, they heard that the Sabers had been jumped and hard. The two squads raced to the rescue.

Mazzola burned down a bug that had come out of the junction with the flamethrower. He reloaded a napalm canister and Krul replaced him at the tunnel mouth, firing his Morita down the corridor until he had to reload. Barton's marauder replaced Krul, firing it's shoulder mounted gatling gun down the passageways. Fife popped in and blasted away as well.

Dead bugs filled the junction node, but still more charged forward and trampled over the corpses of their dead comrades.

At the back of the first four man unit consisting of Krul, Mazzola, Barton, and Fife, Starles, Zim, Trigger, Schultz, and DiStefano, were battling another contingent of bugs, that had been set aflame by the Greek Fire in Razak's junction.

"Did we miss the party!" Razak said as he and Walker's units arrived and began blasting bugs down the corridor.

"Right on time Razak." said Starles.

"DiStefano, Barton, unleash the Greek Fire." said Starles.

"Yes sir." Barton replied.

"Launcher's jammed." DiStefano said.

"T'Phai, take the canisters from DiStefano's marauder and put them at the junction's mouth. Barton, on my signal, shoot out the canisters, save yours to cover our retreat." said Razak.

T'Phai complied but found himself trapped by spiders, his Morita jammed. "T'Phai, catch!" Barton said as he tossed his shotgun to him."

T'Phai had used the weapon handed to him. It's slower firing rate reminded him of the constrictor guns he was accustomed to using, but it's heavy recoil left much to be desired. 'How can humans use such hard kicking weapons.' he thought as he cleared himself a path.

When T'Phai reached the squads Razak said, "Barton, shoot them out."

Barton fired his gatling gun, bursting the canisters and the first wave of bugs caught fire. Barton fired his canisters to cover their retreat and the squad's mission was deemed a success.

However, the Greek Fire had failed to go deep enough to kill the brain bug. Water tigers had delayed the fire long enough to evac the brain to a transport bug. However, there was no way anyone could have known this as the squads evacuated to the surface, and to safety.


	14. The Outpost

The Outpost  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Contact with Outpost 1572 on the edge of the ice asteroid belt had been mysteriously lost one week ago. This coincided with the disappearance of the brain bug of Tesca Nemerosa. The Valley Forge was sent to investigate this mysterious occurance.

In the trooper's berthing area, tension was running high. The disappearance of the brain bug and the loss of contact with the outpost was far too closely linked to consider coincidence.

"What are you up to Mazzola?" said Fife.

"Writing a letter to my old man. In case I don't come back." Mazzola said stiffly.

Hearing this from Mazzola, who's cocky, tough guy manner was reminiscent of a New York City street thug, was evident of the tension that was being felt all day.

All this tension was amplified for Leonard Barton, whom, two days ago was promoted to corporal and with Zim being dispatched back to Camp Currie, was top kick until Zim's replacement, Sergeant Wenzl, was due to arrive. At this point, Barton was attempting to mask his fear by nonchalantly preparing his trusty shotgun for combat.

"Hey, Barton?" said Schultz, "What do you think hurts more, being decapitated or burned?"

"Why do you ask, Schultz?"

"Just taking a poll among troopers, seeing if they'd rather be skewered by a warrior or burned by a tanker." said Schultz.

"In that case." Barton said, "I'd rather be decapitated. You don't feel much."

"Are you kidding," said Schultz, "That's the worst way to go. They say your decapitated corpse is the last thing you see before you die."

The alarm, summoning the troopers to their dropships, blared loudly, like an executioner's song through the hull. The Roughnecks were also with Starles' squad on this mission.

The shoulder restraints were lowered over Barton's shoulders and as they did that, Barton couldn't help but think that this mission could well be his last.

"You are tense, Corporal." said T'Phai from beside him, "I know how you feel. When I first commanded a group of soldiers, I did begin to second guess my capabilities. You will do fine. Lieutenant Starles and Sergeant Zim would not have selected you for promotion if they did not think you were capable."

"Thank's T'Phai." said Barton, the tension slightly lifted.

The troopers prepared for their drop and were unloaded, like living bombs onto the planet below. The squads searched through the outpost, finding the place deserted.

Trigger, on point, tripped over what appeared to be an abandoned scout suit. When he shined his lights on it, he found it to be a dead man. His head had a single hole in the top, evidence of a brain bug attack.

"Oh God." said Fife, looking sickened. His sick feeling was enhanced by static over the subspace comm system.

"What's wrong Fife?" Barton said.

"Solar flare. We won't be able to call home for at least twelve hours." Fife replied.

"What's wrong with this picture, Corporal?" said Starles.

"Evidence of a bug attack, but no bugs in sight." Barton said, "This is very curious."

"Don't speak too soon, Barton." said Brutto over the comm links. Ahead of them, the Roughnecks were engaging an attacking horde of arachnids.

"Fall back!" said Razak. In the retreat, Rico and Barton were cut off by a column of warriors. They were trapped by a heavy airlock door that closed ahead of them.

A quick search of the room revealed no bugs, but no other exits. "Guess we're stuck here." said Rico.

"Rico, Barton." came Razak's voice over their comm links, "Sit tight. When the bug activity lets up, we'll come back for you."

Hours passed, and in the distance, Rico and Barton could hear fighting in the background. "Damn! I wish we were out there. Anything's better than being stuck here, wondering if our squads need us." Rico said, chafing with frustration.

"Stay calm, Rico." Barton said.

The hours continued to tick away, and neither man spoke, until Rico broke the silence. "Thinking of the folks back home."

"Yes." Barton replied.

"Who?" Rico said.

"My family." Barton said, "My friends back in Orlando. What about you?"

"Carmen." said Rico, "She must be worried sick right now. What about you? Is there some girl that has Lenny Barton's heart in the palm of her hand?"

"There is." Barton replied stiffly, as if this was a painful matter that had long torn away at him, "Her name's Melissa. I've been in love with her since we started high school together. She never loved me back, though. My dad knew about this, and said I should have dated Lyse Johansen, this choir girl at my old school. I didn't like Lyse in that way, though, and me and my dad got in a big arguement about the way I felt for Melissa. This hurt a lot because dad and me always had a great relationship."

"I'm sorry, Lenny." Rico said, "My dad left the family when I was nine years old. I never really was close to him. It's like one day he came home from work, packed his suitcase, and got into his car, I never saw him again."

"That's rough," Barton replied, "My grandmother passed away just before I reported to Camp Currie. I asked her if she was afraid, she shook her head. I was afraid to touch the death I saw in her. I couldn't see anything beautiful or uplifting about her going back to God. I wonder what it's gonna be like when I die, to know that the breath I take will be the last one I'll ever draw. I just hope that when I go, I'll be able to take it the way she did. With that same calm feeling."

The airlock door blew open and Gossard stood in the opening, "Are you two gonna talk all day, or are we moving out." said Razak.

"Yes sir." both of them said.

The troopers were now trapped in a place called Hopper Canyon. A place aptly named for the squadrons of hoppers that flew downward to attack the troopers.

Barton pulled his shotgun from his armor, firing blasts of buckshot into the skies. A hopper, hit directly, spun downward and lay twitching on the ground. Fife finished it off with a few Morita rounds.

The situation seemed hopeless, but among the flying objects, Barton could make out the outline of a retrieval ship.

"All aboard apes!" said Starles. The troopers charged aboard, they would live to fight another day.

Aboard the Valley Forge, Rico asked Barton, "Do you have a picture of Melissa?"

Barton handed Rico a picture of a young woman with chesnut brown hair and hazel eyes and a beautiful smile. After that time on the outpost, Rico finally knew more about the man under the mysterious stranger motif Leonard Barton had cultivated over the years.


	15. A Mystery of Heroism

A Mystery of Heroism  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Every available ship and trooper was to be committed to a massive offensive against the arachnid home planet of Klendathu.

The officers were all in the briefing room, leaving the sergeants and corporals to run the outfit. Everyone was a bit on edge.

"I just can't help how scared I am." said Trigger, the youngest man in Saber Squad, "There's gonna be air raids, plasma attacks. We're probably gonna die before we hit the ground."

"What's you're name?" said Sergeant Wenzl, a man a clipped German accent and distinctively Jewish features.

"Theodore Reilly, but everyone calls me Trigger, sir." said Trigger.

"There are only two things permanent in this world, Herr Trigger," said Wenzl, calmly, "Death and the Lord, this war won't be the end of me, and not the end of you either."

"Think we'll catch an air raid." said Mazzola, voicing one of his biggest fears, death from the sky.

"How in the hell should I know?" Schultz said, "Last few times, we didn't catch no air raid. On the other hand, on Hydora, we nearly got skewered. What do you want me to tell you?"

"You're a big help, Schultz." said Mazzola, "Nothing, tell me nothing. I'll tell you something, though, we're sitting here in these here ships like a bunch of f#$%^g ducks."

"I already know that." said Schultz.

Barton was sitting on his bunk, composing a second letter home. One was addressed to his family, the other to Melissa. Dizzy Flores sat on her bunk, across from Barton's.

She said, "Letter home?"

"Whoa!" Barton said, "Yeah."

"A little jittery, aren't we?" said Flores.

"I am." Barton said, "I'm just writing these letters telling everyone who's important to me just how much I love them all. You never know, that's a fact."

"For Melissa?" Flores said, noticing one of the two envelopes.

Barton nodded, "I love her quite a bit. Even though she doesn't return my love, I still love her."

"She'd probably think it's sweet, that you're writing her, letting all your feelings out on paper." Flores said.

"It'd probably scare the hell out of her." Barton replied.

The call for the mail came in and Flores received the SICON greeting card saying that her brother Eddie was MIA.

The drop was about to begin and Barton glanced toward his helmet visor. A frightened face was reflected back. 'A non-com can't afford to look frightened.' Barton thought, 'Calm yourself.'

The troopers were dropped near the alkaline lake, on it's eastern shore, just opposite the Roughneck's position. They had no sooner landed, than a horde of warrior bugs came out of the ground, like bats leaving a cave for their nocturnal feedings.

The bug wave opened a hole in the ground and Fife fell through, knocking his gyros out as well as knocking Fife himself unconscious.

Acting without thinking, Trigger jumped into the hole, after Fife, grabbing him around the waist and pulling him to safety when he fired his jump jets.

A warrior bug's pincers grabbed Fife's leg and it suddenly blew apart with a high explosive round from a Morita. Barton, his jets firing, descended down, firing blasts of fire all the way down.

The troopers of Starles Sabers were holed up, killing bugs, while DiStefano repaired Fife's power suit. Barton, shotgun in hand, fired a high explosive round from his shotgun into a nearby warrior, blowing him in half. Another bug took two hits from Barton's buckshot and died.

Suddenly, the wave of bugs turned around, it was heading to attack the Roughnecks and Zulus on the other side of the lake, leaving the Sabers alone.

Trigger's heroic act executed from a boy so frightened, Barton's courage under fire, both are part of a mystery known as heroism. Heroism is not the absense of fear, rather the ability to do one's work even when one is greatly frightened. That is the mystery of heroism.


	16. The Masquerers

The Masquerers  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The reddish skies of the Klendathu day turned into the misty darkness of the Klendathu night. A trench on the outer perimeter of the Field HQ, the command post of the human effort to pacify the ugly speherical hellhole known as Klendathu, housed Starles Sabers.

Schultz was even less at ease whenever it turned dark on Klendathu than he was during the day. He was on guard duty alongside Private Coonan this shift. 'Damn I hate the night shift.' Schultz thought, 'Inky blackness, where a bug can come out of nowhere. I wonder if those arachnids even need sleep.'

Asleep in his bunk Leonard Barton dreamed a fluttery dream of Guadalcanal, the peaceful island in the South Pacific where he felt at peace with the world for once in his troubled life, floating in the warm Pacific Ocean, it's gentle motions vaguely reminiscent of being inside one's mother's womb. He heard a particular chant the Melanesians, natives of Guadalcanal, chanted during their celebration of the mass. His sleep, like a fragile cobweb, was torn like rotted cloth before rough hands by the following event.

A lone trooper, apparently wounded stumbled his way toward their position. Coonan, closest to what he thought was an injured comrade, called over the comm link, "DiStefano, looks like we've got a wounded man. Give us a hand."

The wounded man moved closer to their position, his helmet mounted flashlight shining in Coonan and Schultz's eyes. DiStefano came topside, medkit in one hand, Morita in the other. It saved his life that he had his Morita in hand at that moment.

Just as DiStefano walked toward the wounded trooper, the trooper's scout suit cracked apart, revealing a bug underneath, a bug no human being had previously seen. It was the size of a human, walking on two legs. It knocked DiStefano down with one razor sharp talon and kicked Schultz on his back. Coonan came to intercept, raising his Morita. He only got his rifle halfway up when the bug's talons stabbed deep into his chest, like a medal he rather would have not received. Coonan lived long enough to see the bug withdraw its gore slicked talons from his heart.

By now, all the troopers in the squad were awakened to combat this menace. Mazzola fired his Morita in a long burst, like a fireman hosing a fire, only this fire was an unknown species of bug. The burst didn't kill the thing outright, but it mortally wounded it. The thing jumped on top of Mazzola and cocked one of it's talons back, ready to fillet Mazzola in his armor, when it's head suddenly exploded like ripe fruit.

Buckshot from a shotgun had aparrently done this imposter in. DiStefano did an autopsy on the dead bug while Starles composed a letter to Coonan's parents, informing them that their son had died for a good cause, to ensure that human civilization, not insect, would rule this galaxy now and always.

Razak had informed SICON of the bug's new dodge in combat not more than an hour ago. Starles received orders for his squad too. Reynard's Raiders were to relieve Starles squad for the duration of this mission.

The mission was to attack and destroy an area where these Imposter Bugs were gathering in force. It was approximately three kilometers from where Razak's squad was to have it's showdown with the now deranged Major Baracalow.

A low fog clung to the ground, the pale sun that Klendathu orbited was rising over the horizon. The men of Starles' squad locked and loaded their weapons and walked through the thick fog suplemented by several fires burning on the wartorn planet of Klendathu.

The Imposter bugs came flying out of their tunnels like rats from a sinking ship. Starles' men met this threat head on, firing their rifles. The bugs suddenly turned and ran back into the tunnel.

In hot pursuit Starles men, spurred on by the death of a comrade, blasted down the bugs, who were rushing to defend their leader, Barcalow, and the hive where others like them were being hatched.

Mazzola pulled his Tk pistol from his armor and fired until the clip was empty, shooting several bugs in the back.  
>Schultz, running alongside the Brooklynite, was firing his Morita in short and accurate bursts, killing bugs.<p>

Barton, his Morita having gone empty, pulled his shotgun free and fired several flechette rounds, shells containing hundreds of steel darts that could collectively blow limbs off of bugs. In his hand, the shotgun splattered the Imposter bug that turned around and attacked him all over the walls of the cavern.

The wall in front of the bugs crashed down, trapping them between a wall of rock and the vengeful troopers. In less than thirty seconds, Starles and his men gunned down the bugs, leaving broken pieces of them scattered all over the cavern. The last of the masquerers had been slain.


	17. Blitzkrieg

Blitzkrieg  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The ground rumbled and shook violently on Klendathu. By the impact, Leonard Barton was thrown out of his bunk. The impact tremor was not caused by seismic forces however. It was caused by a barrage of plasma blasts from bug batteries. And it was not just that part of Klendathu where this was taking place. Planet wide, plasma bugs were just one part of a massive arachnid counteroffensive against occupying Mobile Infantry forces. To soften up the trench lines, the plasma bugs began their barrage.

The week before, bug activity had been surprisingly light. The only reason this was so was because the bugs were hatching leigions of warriors, imposters, hoppers, tankers, and other bug types for a massive counteroffensive, a sort of arachnid blitzkrieg.

The pounding stopped. The men within the trenches waited. 'When are they coming? How many casualties? How many fatalities?' thought Lieutenant Starles as he looked at the tension etched faces around him. Even the perpetually calm Sergeant Wenzl wore a tense expression as he and Fife, the first lookouts, climbed out of the underground shelter.

"LT," said Fife, "We got bugs."

"Everyone out. Man your positions." Starles said.

"Sir," Corporal Barton said, "That bug counteroffensive is massive. We should opt for retrieval if they over run our position."

"No retrieval Corporal. Bug offensive is planet wide. We're to hold the line until the bugs quit -" said Starles.

"Or we die. Understood LT." Barton replied.

The first wave of warrior bugs attacked, falling before concentrated Morita fire. A spray of acid shot over Wenzl's head, "Watch yourselves. Blisters among the warriors." he said.

Schultz tossed a grenade into the midst of a cluster of bugs, including a blister. The blister exploded, flinging corrosive liquid about, disintegrating several bugs. Barton reloaded another clip into his Morita, cocked the weapon and fired another barrage of bullets into the attacking bugs.

The bugs were still coming in droves when Starles said "Barton, DiStefano, get in the marauders, we may need them."

"Hot foot it apes! Both of you." said Wenzl.

"Yes sir." Barton replied.

As they walked into the shelter, where the squad's marauders were stored, DiStefano and Barton walked by the row of bunks in the barracks. A blast from a plasma bug shook the underground area, throwing a photo album onto the ground from Barton's bunk. The album opened and tripped DiStefano. He picked it up, noticing a picture of a middle aged woman standing next to man with slightly greying hair. They were standing beside an eight year old boy. DiStefano asked, "Who's the kid?"

"My kid brother, Davey. Mom just sent me that picture a week ago. He's out of the hospital for his heart surgery, finally." Barton said.

"Why did he need the surgery." said DiStefano.

"Mom said he had a condition from birth in which his heart would stop beating if he engaged in intense physical activity. He passed out when he was playing tag with his buddies three months ago. Our doctor began a treatment program that culminated with a heart surgery. The poor kid was so scared that I wrote him a letter saying I feel scared too, when I go into battle. He came out alright. What about you, Doc, you married?"

"Yeah." said DiStefano, as he mounted his scout marauder, "I have a wife and three kids back home. You know what I miss about Earth, Barton. I miss my family. I just love to walk home after a grueling day at the hospital, and smell what my wife's cooking. I'll tell you one thing, it's a helluva a lot better than field rations. Then I see my oldest son, Daniel, he's eight years old and loves to play soccer, he'll get all excited and tell me about his latest practice. Then there's Lydia, my daughter, she loves to play with those tinker toys. She builds entire worlds in the living room. Then there's the baby, Paolo, I'll just watch him play in his playpen. Then we have dinner, family hour, we do it every night."

"Doc," Barton said, "You really pull the old heart strings."

The two marauders joined topside to fend off another bug blitzkrieg. Adding their machineguns, rocket launchers, and flamethrowers into the mix.

From the air, hoppers jumped into the fray, followed by tankers interspersed among the bug formations. The situation looked grim.

Barton targeted a tanker with his rocket launcher and fired. The rocket exploded the tanker in half. DiStefano targeted a line of bugs attacking from the flank and fired his gatling gun in a long burst, leaving nothing but flecks of arachnid body tissue flying about.

Barton played the two flamethrowers mounted on his marauder's mechanical arms across a line of bugs on a frontal attack, setting them ablaze.

Using his companions as cover, Krul aimed the YK-6 mobile launcher out toward a tunnel where he spotted the bugs approaching from. He fired a mininuke down the hole, blowing it sky high. The Skinnie had cut off the bug reinforcements.

Fife reported, "LT, I've radioed some close air support, ETA thirty seconds."

"Take cover apes." said Starles, "Airstrike."

The Fleet jets fired missiles and dropped bombs on the waves of bugs. All throughout the planet Klendathu, airstrikes were neutralizing the bug counterattack. The blitzkrieg of the bugs had become a mop up operation. The arachnid panzers lay in pieces throughout the wartorn planet they called home. Below the ground on which they stood, the bugs were hatching more warriors for other battles to come.


	18. Gideon

Gideon's Army  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Billeted to the new Field HQ, Starles Sabers were being assigned a reconaissance mission in a recently occupied sector of Klendathu. They were to determine if it truly was clear of arachnid infestation.

The two marauders were packed into the back of the drop ship with Lieutenant Starles in the cockpit and Ibanez flying.

The squad was dropped into India Sector, the recently captured region of Klendathu. The litter of war was everywhere. Smoke from a wrecked skimmer drifted in their direction. The drop ship took a hit and appeared to plummet earthward, but at the last moment, the pilot regained control and flew off over the horizon.

"Bug's are active here." said Starles.

"Fife, see if you can contact Ibanez, get her to fly us out of here. This place is crawling." said Starles.

"Ibanez, this is Fife. Can you make a pick up on us?" Fife said.

"No can do, Fife. SICON says your on their own. The LZ's too hot for pickup. A ship, the Prometheus just went down three klicks south of your position. SICON's ordering you to rendezvous with the survivors and hold out until we can retrieve you." said Ibanez.

"And that will be when?" said Fife.

"Uncertain." said Ibanez.

The squad rendezvoused with the Prometheus survivors, four in all. Two fleet pilots, Lieutenant David Weber and Major Sandra Fletcher, and two MI troopers, Private Jimmy Hartzl and Private Edgar Manning.

"LT," said Wenzl from a nearby sensor station, "We've got a horde of bugs."

This got Barton thinking. "Sir, maybe we can trick the bugs away from us."

"How so?" Starles said.

"We can make the bugs believe they're attacking a superior force." Barton replied.

"We can jury rig sensor operated machineguns at several points. We can also use the spare power suits to make it look like we got more troopers than really are here." Wenzl replied.

They set their plan into motion. Time passed, eerily no bugs were in sight. That in itself was a hundred times more disturbing than if every bug on Klendathu were present. Because the ruse was in place, there was little else to do but engage in matters of somewhat less consequence.

Schultz asked Wenzl, "Sir, where in Germany are you from."

"I'm a police officer from Munich." said Wenzl, "I joined up shortly after Pluto and went into action during the Tophet campaign. What about you, Herr Schultz?"

"My parents are originally from Berlin." said Schultz, "But I grew up in Malden, Massachusetts. I got into Harvard and was studying psychology when the war broke up."

"Well, Schultz, at least you didn't have to go into the MI to get money to go to college." said Mazzola.

"Where'd you get accepted?" said Hartzl.

"New York University. Wanted to study business. My old man was a construction worker, though. Couldn't afford to put me through school, so he said, 'Tony, either get a job or go into the MI.' That's how I got here." Mazzola replied.

"I joined up because it was something to do. Keeps a kid off the streets. That's what the service did for me." said Hartzl.

"What about you, Barton?" said Wenzl.

"Sarge, I was at the University of Florida, studying mechanical engineering, when the arachnid threat started intensifying. I joined up to keep those overgrown cockaroaches from invading my home." Barton replied.

A horde of bugs attacked and with the deception in place and the bugs deceived into believing they were attacking a superior force. The bugs withdrew and enabled a retrieval ship to fly in and retrieve the Gideon's army that had held off a wave of bugs.


	19. Comatose

Comatose  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Combat, always a hectic affair. Arachnids had surprised the Sabers while they were on patrol in India Sector. Sergeant Wenzl was beseiged from all sides by half a dozen Imposter Bugs. In the heat of combat, repressed emotion always slides free. "You mudering bastards! This is for my wife!"

Barton gunned down the imposter bugs from the cockpit of his scout marauder with his gatling gun. "Sarge. Your wife?"

Wenzl calmed, "My wife was part of a stellar cartography team on Pluto. They were never heard from again. That was when Operation Pest Control began."

Understanding, that's what the look on Barton's face conveyed. He launched several rockets toward the oncoming horde while DiStefano tackled the bugs that were getting too close for comfort. As far as marauder specialists went, Barton and DiStefano were a good team.

Wenzl's Morita chattered like the teeth of one submerged in the Arctic Ocean as he gunned down bug after bug, with revenge in his eyes. He remembered how he had haunted the archives around his hometown, and even asked Emile's parents in Nuremburg if they'd heard anything about her. They replied that she had disappeared. He was so consumed with anger at the bugs that he didn't even see the warrior that snuck behind him and impaled him through his right side.

Fife hosed the warrior with the flamethrower while Mazzola finished it off. Picking Wenzl up, DiStefano and the team beat a retreat toward a field hospital. It was touch and go if Wenzl was going to live.

What followed was what we would call a near death experience for Wenzl. "Heinrich."

At the sound of his first name, Wenzl turned around to see a figure of a woman beside him. She was glowing. "Emile?"

The woman nodded, "Well, Heinrich, this is unexpected."

"Death very often comes unexpectedly in the Mobile Infantry." said Wenzl.

"You joined up for revenge." said Emile. He could see her more clearly now. Her dark eyes and raven hair accentuated a narrow and beautiful face.

"I wanted to make the arachnids pay for everything they took from me. Our life together readily springs to mind in this case." Wenzl replied.

"You shouldn't be here, Heinrich." said Emile.

"You shouldn't either. We should be back home, together." Wenzl replied.

"Go back, Heinrich. They need you." said Emile.

All Heinrich Wenzl saw was a flash of light. In that light, he saw Doc DiStefano's face above him. "Rest now, Sarge. You're recovering."

"DiStefano, how long was I out?" said Wenzl.

"Four days." DiStefano replied.

Before Wenzl could reply, an alarm sounded. Every available trooper went topside to fight the attacking arachnids.

The ground opened suddenly and Imposter bugs poured out of the hole. Wenzl grabbed his Morita, propped up on a wall, and, though wounded and unable to move fast, succeded in taking down a dozen of the harrying Imposter bugs.

The Imposter Bug sank it's talon into his abdomen. Wenzl knew his end was near, but it didn't seem to faze him. He saw Emile above him, the wind teasing her hair, "See, Heinrich, who says dying is such a bad thing?" she said.

He reached for her, smiling.

By the time DiStefano and Trigger, both equipped with flamethrowers, cleared the room of arachnids, Wenzl was already dead. The Imposter Bugs were burning on the floor and in their midst lay Sergeant Wenzl.

The squad was upset, understandably, by the death of their sergeant. "LT," said DiStefano to Starles, "We need to find a replacement for Wenzl."

"I thought about it, ever since I heard the report eight hours ago and couldn't even sleep. I think he's qualified enough..." said Starles.

"Then get him up here." said DiStefano, already ranked as a sergeant, but he was a medic and therefore not in the line of command.

"Get Leonard Barton up here." said Starles.

DiStefano woke Barton and got him to the briefing room. Barton was still rubbing sleep out of his eyes, "Sir?"

"Barton, with Sergeant Wenzl down, we need a new squad leader." said Starles.

"Who, sir? I do have a few recommendations. DiStefano..."

"No, Barton, DiStefano is better suited and is needed more as our medic." said Starles.

"What does this mean, sir?" Barton replied.

"You've just been made sergeant." said Starles.

"Get that third stripe painted on your power suit pronto." said DiStefano.

"Carry on, Sergeant Barton." said Starles.


	20. The Monarch

The Monarch  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Sergeant Barton was going over details of their latest mission,to form a distraction for the bugs while two squads of troopers went after the Queen. They were waiting for a replacement to fly in on a skimmer that was due to arrive.

"Sir, I can drive a marauder better than almost anyone in the squad." said Barton.

"Fife can do just as well as you can. Barton, I need you on the ground. You have a bigger responsibility now, Sergeant, this squad." said Starles in reply.

"Yes sir." Barton replied, seeing Starles' point.

The skimmer landed and a trooper joined their squad. He was a man in his mid forties, with greying hair, and a silver mustache. "Private Arturo, sir, reporting for duty."

"Carry on private." said Starles.

"Hey, Schultz," said Mazzola, "That Arturo guy, he looks about as old as my dad."

"What's he doing in the infantry?" said Fife, from the cockpit of the large marauder. DiStefano was manning the smaller scout marauder.

"Hey, Arturo," said DiStefano, sitting in his cockpit, the canopy open, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but what is a man your age doing in the Mobile Infantry?"

To his amazement, Arturo actually laughed, "Sometimes I ask myself the same question. I was entirely opposed to the service in my prime, it's weird that I wound up in it. I was working in the NYPD until I heard about the Dakota going down and the Imposter Bug story on the news. I went home, saw my wife and kid, and said to myself, there's no way I'm letting those Bug SOB's near my family, so I joined up."

The squad boarded the skimmer, flown by Barton and navigated by DiStefano. They landed near a large plateau, where several plasma bug positions were located.

"We'll attack in two teams, one marauder per group. I'll lead group one, Fife, you're with me. Barton will lead group two, DiStefano, you're with him." said Lieutenant Starles.

Barton's group was tasked with locating exactly where the plama bugs were located, and then calling in Starles' group to attack them. This would clear the way for the drop ship that was going to drop two squads at two separate points to attack and destroy the Bug Queen.

Arturo pulled a .357 Magnum from his armor. He loaded six bullets into the chamber and said, "My backup."

"DiStefano, start that scan. Arturo, Krul, you're with me. DiStefano, you, Schultz, and Mazzola scan the western side of the ridge. We'll take the eastern side." Barton ordered.

They were completing their reconaissance when they came under attack by warrior bugs. Arturo flamed down six of them with the flamethrower, while Krul and Barton were knocking others down like bowling pins in bowling alley with their Moritas.

DiStefano heard the commotion and he, Mazzola, and Schultz hurried over to check out the commotion. They joined in, DiStefano's gatling gun whirring rounds at lighting speed into the bug ranks.

A warrior knocked the flamethrower from Arturo's hands. He pulled out his .357 and fired. His first bullet struck the bug broadside. His second struck it in the eye, knocking it out. His next three made big holes in the pincer area, and his sixth bullet hit the nerve cluster. The bug fell dead to the ground.

Elsewhere, Fife reported, "Sir, I think Barton's group's in trouble."

Starles motioned his men forward and attacked the warrior swarm from behind. Several plasma bolts shot out of the caverns below their feet.

"Bingo, we've exposed their positions." said Barton.

Fife and DiStefano, immediately understanding, fired rockets down the caverns, blowing several bugs to kingdom come and eradicating the plasma bug positions.

The squad went back to their skimmer, and flew back to base after a job well done. The squad was unaware that the Roughnecks had failed to kill the queen, and that their tour of duty on Klendathu was over. Now they were to pursue the queen through space


	21. Coming Home

Coming Home  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The drop ship landed at the landing pad and the twelve troopers of Starles Sabers went to their new post, the Mobile Infantry base just outside Orlando, Florida. Leonard Barton was obviously overjoyed because Orlando was his hometown.

The men had a twenty four hour liberty pass. The obviously went to see Leonard Barton, who had lived in Orlando most of his life.

Barton, however, just wanted to go home. His family had moved back to Orlando from Buenos Aires after he'd finished basic, as his father's recruiting duties in Buenos Aires were over.

He walked through the Orlando International Airport from the skimmer that had dropped him off. He walked through the terminal and saw a very familiar face that caused his heart to almost stop. Melissa.

She turned around from the flight schedule board just as he was about to walk away. Conversation with her was still fairly awkward. He had only spoken to her through letters, not to mention the fact that he still had feelings for her.

She gave him a small smile, he smiled back. "Leonard, I can't talk right now, my mom's flying in from South Carolina, I've got to pick her up. I'll see you later." she said.

"I'd like that." Barton said, tentatively, and went on his way.

He got onto the monorail to his neighborhood and walked down the street. He was still in uniform, so people that he knew could pick him out. First to see him was Mrs. Fowler, his next door neighbor, "Lenny?" she said, "Is that you?"

"Mrs. Fowler, how are the kids." Barton asked. The woman was in her mid thirties and a full time mother, a wonderful mother at that.

"They're just fine. Davey's over at our house, he's been so excited to see you." said Mrs. Fowler.

"Where are mom and dad?" Barton asked.

"They're out of town for the week. I'll go get Davey and you two can freshen up and have dinner at our place." said Mrs. Fowler.

Davey and Leonard went inside their house, using Davey's key, and the lights went on and both Leonard's parents said, "Surprise!"

"Mom. Dad." Barton replied, "I'm so completely surprised."

"Take a shower and get dressed," said Leonard's mother, "We're going to see the Victory Celebration at EPCOT Center."

Barton did so, and for some reason, he packed his TK pistol in his backpack when they went to the celebration. He had no idea the Bug War was about to come home, but he would very soon.

He ran into Melissa at EPCOT. Realizing she didn't wish to speak to him because she didn't want to lead him on, he was about to go his own way when she said, "Leonard, I'm glad your safe. Like I said in my letter, I may not be in love with you, but I still care about your personal well being."

"Nice to know that." said Leonard, still feeling hurt about his unrequited love, doubled by the fact that he repressed that pain for over four years.

Before he could say anything else, Alan Reinmann, his rival for Melissa, showed up. "Melissa, I got us a table near the podium where the mayor's supposed to speak, let's go before someone gets it."

As he watched Melissa and Alan walk arm in arm, Leonard Barton felt his heart plunge down.

Melissa didn't really feel as intensely in love with Alan as she did two years ago. Time does change people's feelings, and she was surprised to learn that Leonard's feelings for her had not changed.

General Redwing was about to begin a speech on the podium when Barton noticed a man in a ragged trenchcoat sneaking through the shadows of a nearby planter. He was angling around the planter, raising a TK pistol of his own.

There was no way Barton could shout a warning so quickly so he spun around and pulled his own pistol and fired three shots. The first shot struck the man in the stomach, the chest, and the center of the head. As the man convulsed on the ground and died, he showed his true colors, he was now taking the shape of an Imposter Bug.

Six police officers charged toward Barton who directed them toward the dead corpse of the Imposter Bugs. The cops lead people out of the pavillion, but several turned into Imposter Bugs. The ground itself opened up and more warrior bugs came flooding out like water from a busted sewer pipe.

Leonard's father had a TK pistol out and was motioning for his son to follow. "I've got to find Melissa! Dad, I'll be back!"

"Son, wait, it's suicide!" said Barton's father, but the crowd separated them.

Pushing his way through the crowd, Barton charged through the smashed ruin of what was once the Orlando attraction called EPCOT Center. He heard a scream and saw a woman, ducking her head, being chased by an Imposter Bug. Barton fired a shot that drilled through one of the bug's multiple eyes and like a crashed cargo hauler, it fell down.

Melissa ran toward the crowd that Leonard pointed out. Needing no prompting, they both ran out toward the parking lot where skimmers waited to evacuate them.

On the skimmer, Barton realized a single grim truth, that the Bug War had come home.


	22. The Siege of Orlando

The Siege of Orlando  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Sergeant Leonard Barton got his squad together as Lieuteant Starles, his helmet under his arm and Morita in one hand walked into the room. "Alright apes, orders from above. We are to be dropped near downtown Orlando at 0400, our task is to keep the bugs contained in the areas they already occupy, to rescue any civilian survivors, and to hold out until we are reinforced." said Lieutenant Starles, with combat toughness being written into his gentle college professor face.

The troopers donned their armor and moved toward the landing pad. As they did so, Barton noticed another trooper, with sergeant stripes on his armor who looked very familiar, "Dad?" he asked.

"Son, I got myself reassigned to active duty." said Samuel Barton, Leonard's father.

"Where will you be?" said Leonard.

"Tango sector, Kissimee, I'll be right on your flank." said Samuel.

"Sergeant Barton?" came a voice.

"Ma'am." both Barton's said, turning to face the speaker, General Miriam Redwing, the commander of the operation.

"I was speaking to your father, Leonard." she said.

With a nod, Leonard walked off. When he was out of earshot, or so she thought, she said, "I'd hold of breaking the news to your son. The transport Cape Glouchester, a civilian transport carrying civilians from out of Orlando to Atlanta, was downed last night. Your wife, your younger son and seventy-two others were aboard, the report said there were no survivors."

Redwing handed him a list of names, among them, in addition to his wife and son, was the name Melissa Meynard. That would really devastate Leonard if he knew, so Samuel was determined to keep this from Leonard's knowledge.

Little did he know his son had overheard the entire conversation. On the skimmer to downtown Orlando, Leonard Barton's face bore a hard and strange expression. DiStefano was a bit frightened by it, as Leonard was his best friend. The destruction of one's hometown and the possible death of one's loved ones is a painful thing, and pain was one of the emotions Leonard Barton felt as they disembarked to clear the area of bugs.

Several warriors attacked from a hole in the sidewalk near the public library. Barton downed several with his Morita, an android like expression on his bespectacled face, as he gunned down the loathsome arachnids.

The Roughnecks had been holding that area and so the Sabers linked up with them. Rico noticed the hardened expression on Barton's face, it looked as if he was seething with rage, searching for revenge.

They entered a building, the local hospital, and they heard noises in one of the rooms. Rico opened the door, and Barton, wielding a flamethrower entered and played the weapon in a full 180 degree arc, setting fire to a dozen Imposter bugs hiding in the room. Burning, the Imposters jumped out the window, in a bizarre mimicry of human death, with cries of agony to match.

A solitary spider popped up behind Rico, knocking him to the ground, when Barton's shotgun spoke. One moment the spider was on top of Rico's back, the next, it was nothing but flecks of blood on his armor after Barton's shotgun blasted it in half with a cloud of buckshot.

Rico knew something was wrong with Barton, but decided to not say anything, yet. His plan was working until Dizzy Flores spoke her mind while they rested in the lobby of the burned out hospital. "What's wrong, Lenny?" she asked.

"A civilian transport, the Cape Glouchester, was destroyed last night. My mom, my little brother, and Melissa were all aboard, no survivors. I'm going to make those f$%^&*g arachnids pay through their noses." Barton replied. Flores noted that was his plan because he seemed to be firing with more deadly accuracy than she had seen him shoot with before.

"I'm sorry, Lenny." said Dizzy.

Barton seemed to soften. He was about to say something when Fife said, "Sergeant, I've got something on the radio."

"Put it through." Barton said.

"S.O.S. This is Sandra Barton to any MI units in the area, we are still alive, in need of rescue. I have six survivors with me, need pick up." said the voice.

"Mom," said Leonard, "Location?"

"Leonard." said his mother, "We're at the Orlando International Airport."

"You heard the lady." said Jean Razak, "Rescue Op!"

The troopers, at Orlando International, fanned out in search of survivors. Barton tucked away his Morita. Though he had plenty of ammunition for it, he decided his shotgun was of more utility here. He extended the stock of the weapon and held it at the ready.

Flores and DiStefano were with Barton on this search operation. They located Barton's mother and brother and Rico's team joined them. "Where are the others?" Razak asked.

"Spider bug attack," said Leonard's mother, "We got separated."

Barton saw her walk toward the group out of the corner of his eye. He also saw the immense danger that she was in. A rippler was flying toward the large glass window by which she stood.

Acting without thinking, Barton sprang forward and knocked her to the ground, lying on top of her, shielding her from the barrage of sharp thorns. The rippler flew in, too close to shoot, so Barton pulled his shock stick and filled the rippler with enough charge to blow a hole through the wall.

Melissa got to her feet, "Thank you Leonard." she said, "Did you do that for me?"

"No." Leonard said stiffly, lying every word, "I'd have done the same for anyone."

'You're not a very good liar, Leonard Barton.' Melissa thought.

This was further amplified when they were being led to the skimmer. Lyse Johansen, the woman Leonard's parents wanted him to be with instead of Melissa, "Melissa, Leonard takes these risks because he's in love with you."

"I know that." said Melissa, "Lyse, you have feelings for him, why haven't you..."

"Melissa, I know he really loves you. Leonard can be stubborn at times, that's why I didn't try once I realized he cared for you." said Lyse.

"I've seen his temper before, I'm afraid he'll hurt me." Melissa said, "That's the reason I distanced myself from him."

"If you actually got to know him, he's a very good natured man under that angry exterior. And he wouldn't hurt you, ever." said Dizzy Flores, joining the conversation.

"She's right. He'd die before he'd let you get hurt." said Rico, "That's why he took that risk at the terminal."

War has an emotional impact on all participants, be they military or civilian. They say disaster has brought people closer together. They were correct, for on that day, Melissa learned something about someone she thought she knew. All everyone knew, was that the arachnids weren't going to give up Orlando without a fight.


	23. The Walls of Troy

The Walls of Troy  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

It was day fifteen of the battle for planet Earth. Orlando, a major transportation junction for the Eastern United States, was under siege. The bugs controlled over half the city and were determined to take the entire city by force.

There was nothing but stalemate as the arachnids fought for control with the MI forces holding the city. The plasma bug fire shook the bunker, but business as usual went on. Mail call came in and Schultz eagerly opened a letter.

"Who's it from?" said Mazzola, getting up from his bunk with a languid stretch.

"Rachel, my girlfriend in Harvard. We've been writing each other for over two years every week." said Schultz.

"That is so sweet." said Flores, rising from her own bunk.

"Boston, the one city the bugs haven't attacked, yet. I keep warning Rachel to evacuate, but she says there haven't been any warnings, but when one comes, she said she'll be first to go." Schultz said.

"This is progress." said DiStefano to Barton, who was sitting on his bunk reading a novel, the Illiad, "These guys used to whack chunks out of each other verbally when I signed on with them. We used to be the worst outfit in the Frst MI Division. Now we've turned around and are near the top of the heap as far as good squads are concerned."

More plasma fire alerted the troopers topside. Both Roughnecks and Sabers, fighting alongside each other, were holding off yet another wave of bugs.

DiStefano played the flamethrower in big arcs of fire across a line of bugs that attacked the squad. A tanker popped up in front of their position, smashing a storefront nearby.

Barton pulled a grenade, threw it into the tanker's maw, and ducked as bug guts flew everywhere in a massive explosion.

The bugs were throwing wave after wave at the wall. The no man's land, between human and arachnid held territory in Orlando, was full of the litter of war amid smashed buildings, cratered roads and destroyed bridges.

'This was hometown. I arrive home and what's left but a wasteland.' Barton thought. 'Now's not the time to think these thoughts, now's the time to put bugs where they belong.'

The bugs were piling over the wall as Arturo pulled his .357 from his armor and fired several shots, taking down a spider that would have killed Gossard.

Gossard aimed the tri-barreled rocket launcher and fired, taking out dozens of harrying arachnids. A rippler swarm descended in the midst of this confusion and Trigger, still the baby of the Saber Squad, now nineteen years old, two years older than the seventeen year old boy that fought alongside the squad from Tesca Nemerosa onward.

"Sarge, look out!" said Trigger.

Barton rolled out of the way just as a dozen spines flew into view, nearly impaling him. Barton pulled his shotgun and with two blasts of buckshot, blew a rippler in half. He fired until the magazine was empty and began reloading eight more shells into the magazine. Trigger picked up slack and kept firing his Morita into the mass of ripplers. While a single Morita round does not do as much damage as a shotgun shell to a rippler swarm, a Morita can hold much more ammunition than a shotgun. Barton fired, blowing all the wings on the right side of a rippler off with one shot.

The bug swarm was neutralized thanks to Redwing's well planned Northwest Orlando defense perimeter. Most of all, it was the courage of the troopers manning that permeter that enabled it to be as unbreachable as the walls of Troy of Greek mythology.


	24. The Trojan Horse

The Trojan Horse  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

General Miriam Redwing had just received a report from Intel just hours after eight squads under her command repelled a major arachnid offensive. It seemed that aerial surveilance had detected a hive consisting entirely of Imposter Bugs. This appeared to have the beginings of a full scale infiltration. The order from Sky Marshall Sanchez was a tall one indeed. The information was on a need to know basis, only Redwing was entitled to know.

"Lieutenant Starles, I understand your concern, but SICON's orders are quite specific, but this mission is of primary importance." said Redwing.

"With all due respect General, I have served with the men of my squad for two and a half years, I will not send them on a dangerous mission that will lead them all to their deaths without sufficient cause." said Starles.

"Joe, this is off the record," said Redwing, her voice taking on a more compassionate tone, "The Imposter bug threat is greater than we realize. Near Kissimmee, Intelligence psychics reported that a major infiltration effort is underway. Our task is to destroy that encampment."

"Yes sir." said Starles.

The squads were underway, in their skimmers. "This obviously ain't no patrol. We go enough weaponry to take and hold Kledathu." said Mazzola.

"Pretty much." Schultz said, uneasy.

Arturo nervously spun the cylinder of his .357 Magnum as he tucked it into his armor. "Sarge, what are we doing. I mean I can tell this ain't no patrol or reconaissance. I'd say were on the offensive." said Arturo.

"I don't know, Arturo, but I think the LT does, I'll see if I can pin him down some." Barton replied, not even turning around from the viewport.

'It must be devastating to man to see a place he's lived in most of his life to be subjected to the ravages of war.' Arturo thought.

Starles walked aft, "Apes, what I'm about to tell you is classified. Last week, Imposter Bug populations in the city of Orlando increased dramatically. Intel psychics believe that a full scale infiltration's underway. Our job is to stop this infiltration before they are able to put that infiltration into effect."

"So were nipping the Trojan Horse at the bud, very smart." Sergeant Barton replied.

The skimmers touched down and the troopers attacked the Imposter Bug encampment. It was chaos from that moment on.

A picket line of Imposter Bugs attacked the troopers. Blows were exchanged, and six troopers were killed. The troopers smashed the Imposter Bug perimeter.

The crack of a handgun sounded, drilling into Mazzola's throat, killing him instantly. A human with a pistol came out of the sewers, only he wasn't human, he was an Imposter Bug.

Scultz fired and his Morita fire snapped the Imposter in half. The soldiers charged through the charred ruin of a suburban neighborhood. From under the porch of a house came several Imposter Bugs. One of them jumped Arturo, but he fired his Morita in a quick blast that killed his attacker.

From a tower, an Imposter Bug in human form tried to shoot Barton, but Barton got of a shot first, then a second from his shotgun. The weapon made a terrible mess of the bug's face.

DiStefano played the flamethrower in an arc across a line of Imposter Bugs. He went inside a house to search for any more. The son of a b$%^h came flying out from under a table. A stocky little guy weilding a meat cleaver. The cleaver swished past DiStefano's ear, but DiStefano sprayed it with napalm, frying it alive.

The Imposters were driven off, and their hive was destroyed. Later it was learned that the surviving Imposters tunneled under and attacked the Northwestern Perimeter, where several evacuated Orlando citizens were.

Barton was extremely worried, as Melissa, his mother, and younger brother were in that area. No contact had been made with that area.

"Bye Mazzola." Barton said, as his squadmates buried the dead Brooklynite in a soldier's grave.


	25. Flashbacks

Flashbacks  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The Northwestern Perimeter was in chaos. Though the bug horde had been driven away and the Arachnid tunnels were gassed until every bug in Orlando was dead, chaos still existed.

The Sabers arrived too late to help, but Wallace's Wildcats had defeated the bug horde almost singlehandedly.

Sergeant Leonard Barton's face bore a expression of great worry. He barged into what had once been one of the downtown skyscrapers that was now a Field Hospital. DiStefano immediately went to help the wounded.

He saw an MI sergeant sitting beside a bed, holding the comatose occupant's hand. Barton walked closer and to his everlasting horror he saw Melissa lying in a coma on a bed. "She's stable," said DiStefano, "But bleeding internally. I'll have to operate."

He recognized the MI sergeant as Melissa's significant other, Alan Reinmann. Barton's face was paler than the white plaster wall he was leaning against.

His mind, however, was not in that hospital where DiStefano was about to perform a surgery, but it was back four years, the year 2077, the year he was a sophomore in high school. The flashback played itself through it's head in the following events.

"C'mon Lenny," said his friend, Lars Randolph, "Go to the dance. Maybe you'll get lucky."

"Alright Lars," said Barton, "I'll go."

"Yes!" Lars said, "I have a ride."

Barton was already sixteen, meaning he could drive already. He saw Melissa there, but she didn't pay any attention to him. She was focusing on the blond haired, fairly muscled football star, Alan Reinmann. When they slow danced it was all he could take.

He stormed out of the gym, shoving a startled freshman out of the way. Lars followed him. "Leonard," said Lars, "I know you like her, but she likes Alan, it's time to move on."

"F$%k you!" Leonard exploded, "Leave me alone!"

"Leonard, there are plenty of other fish in the sea, like Lyse Johansen..." said Lars. A blow from Leonard's fist landed, like he was grateful to have a physical enemy to attack.

Barton was brought back into the present by DiStefano saying, "I've stopped the bleeding, we can't do anything but wait now."

Lars had gone into the service, the MI to be exact, while Barton had begun his first and only year at the University of Florida before he curtailed his education to help out in the war effort. Lars had been killed on Pluto just after Barton had finished Basic.

DiStefano put a reassuring hand on Reinmann's shoulder and the two men walked off, leaving Leonard alone. He walked to Melissa's side. She was still comatose, the only sound he could hear from her was the beeping of the electrocardiogram attached to her chest.

"Melissa," Leonard began, "I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am that I wasn't there when this happened. I wish there was some way I could go back and stop the attack, even if I had to die if it meant you would be alive and uninjured. I wish I could know what I did wrong, what I did to deserve the cold shoulder from you for all this time so I could apologize for it."

Barton was brought into another flashback, this one taking place during an earlier part of the same year, when he was running cross country with the school team, along with Lars and Melissa.

The Jacksonville Invitational didn't go so well for the team. They finished last place in that meet. Leonard went over to comfort Melissa, for she hadn't done as well as she'd hoped. "Go away Leonard!" she shouted at him.

Barton walked away, hurt. His part in the race was about to start. "Hey, Leonard. Melissa's just mad that she didn't do well, it's no big deal."

Barton exploded on Lars and said, "F$%k you! Get the hell out of my face!"

"Hey, Leonard, calm down!" said Lars, backing away.

The starting gun sounded, and Barton, drained by his depression, collapsed halfway through the race. He remembered waking up in the hospital. From that moment on, communication with Melissa was a difficult and tentative activity.

Back in the present, Barton saw Reinmann walk back into the room just as Melissa's eyelids fluttered open. Alan was overjoyed that a tear escaped his eye. The two embraced and Barton felt his heart crack like a china plate against a concrete wall. "My hero." Melissa said.

Reinmann had saved Melissa's life when the Imposter Bug had stabbed her in the abdomen. He ran, through a volley of plasma fire, with her in his arms, to safety. Melissa had been barely conscious that time, but she recognized her rescuer.

Barton stormed out of the makeshift hospital room and into the corridor. "Leonard." Melissa called after him, but he didn't hear her.

"I'll talk to him." said Reinmann.

"That's not a smart idea, I don't think." said DiStefano, "Considering the emotional state he's in."

"I can handle it." said Reinmann.

Barton saw Reinmann jogging to catch up, "Barton, chill, let's have a..."

A savage blow from Barton's fist landed, and Reinmann pitched into the wall, stunned. Barton stalked off.

"I told you so." DiStefano said, when he saw Alan Reinmann walk in with a black and blue circle over his right eye.

DiStefano walked to the roof, joined by Jenkins, Rico and Flores, who had seen Barton storming off. They saw Barton standing at the edge of the roof, looking out over his ruined hometown and heard him shout, "Almighty God! Enough! Enough!"

"Leonard," said Flores, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Barton replied, recoiling.

"Yelling, 'Almighty God! Enough! Enough!' loud enough to wake the dead doesn't constitute nothing." said DiStefano.

"This obviously had a great emotional impact on you." said Jenkins.

"Okay Nostradomus, what does your crystal ball say now!" Barton said. He was obviously hurt because he was snapping at four of his closest friends in the Mobile Infantry.

"What the hell," Barton said, "She hates me anyway!"

"She doesn't hate you!" said Flores, "That's ridiculous."

"She did sound worried about you when she called after you." Rico said.

"Explain the fact that she rarely to never wrote me while I was burning my butt off on Tophet, or nearly getting skewered on Tesca Nemerosa, or dodging death on Klendathu." Barton replied.

"I talked to her." said DiStefano, "She said she was trying to show that she did care, but she didn't want to lead you on."

"Leonard," said Flores, "Don't worry, there are other fish in the sea."

When Barton calmed, his friends left him to deal with his pain and his flashbacks from a troubled past.


	26. The Thin Red Line

The Thin Red Line  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

"They call it the rock." said General Miriam Redwing to Colonel Diennes, the division commander of the Fifth MI Division, of which Saber Squad was now part.

"Guadalcanal." said Diennes.

All the other officers of the division were clustered around a monitor on the Valley Forge. "This island threatens the safety of Australia, New Zealand, New Guinea, the Solomons and Rabaul, all of which have important bases for control of the South Pacific." said Redwing, "Colonel Diennes is in command. The First Division's done it's job, now it's our turn."

"As you know," said Diennes, a man with close cropped greying hair and a gruff voice, "Guadalcanal is home to the MI Reserve Armory. A force consisting almost entirely of Imposter Bugs has taken it. With the captured weapons, they can easily infiltrate human society and MI squads planet wide."

"Lieutenant Weaver, will lead Bravo Company into the hills to take out the plasma bug positions." said Diennes, "Lieutenant Starles will take Charlie Comapany to the rear of Weaver for reinforcement. The rest of you will have command of your individual squads but obey orders from Lieutenants Weaver and Starles, dismissed."

Elsewhere on the ship, several troopers were trying not to look at Saber Sqaud, who had just lost one of their own, Anthony Mazzola. Everyone in Saber Squad had a grey armband with the initials A.M. written on it.

The recreation room was nothing of the sort, because no one was relaxing, everyone was just sitting, waiting for the klaxon to sound the begining of the drop.

Schultz sat by a viewport, peering out at the stars, at the Fleet Jets bombarding the beach head where the division was to land on Guadalcanal. He was thinking of Rachel at that moment, 'Why should I be afraid if I die? I belong to you.' the klaxon sounded, causing him to gather his gear and join his squad mates, 'If I go before you, I will wait on the other side.'

The drop ship was an even more tense place then the misleadingly named recreation room. "For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever, now and forever, Amen." said a trooper from a different squad, Private Craycroft, an eighteen year old kid, fresh out of Basic, from the Bible belt of the Eastern United States.

The troopers landed with a strangely unopposed landing. They were guided by native Melanesian guides, who were experts at spotting Imposter bugs through prior experience with them.

They marched through a field of tall grass when Farley, a newcomer to Saber Squad, discovered the remains of two MI troopers. "Trigger, Farley, salvage their ammo, we may need it." Barton ordered.

The two privates complied. Farley was just as old as Barton, but he was a recent enlistee. He was a stocky fellow, a college baseball player, a catcher.

"You see many dead people?" Farley said.

"Sure," said Fife, "They're no different then dead dogs, once you get used to the idea."

They marched along the jungle trail, where they saw men from the First Division marching back their way, with gaps in the ranks. Several of them were bloodied with 'minor' injuries while others were being helped along by their squad mates or carried on stretchers.

They sat in the grassy clearing where a Melanesian guide was briefing them on how to spot Imposters that had shapeshifted into humans and on current plasma bug locations. He was armed with nothing aside from a machete and a TK pistol.

They stopped at the foot of the ridge when one of Starles' squad leaders, Lieutenant Kohl, a baby faced lieutenant from Vienna, Austria, said, "We'll go up by squads, we'll just be one big target if we go up in one wave."

As they marched up, plasma fire exploded among the troopers. They hunkered down in the grass, pinned down. Several Imposter bugs attacked, and the first to fall was Private Farley, he was already bleeding out of his nose when he took cover and hit the ground at a bad angle and now he was bleeding from a dozen other orifices created by bullet wounds drilled through his body.

The attack was driven off, and Lieutenant Starles was made aware of one thing, it would take a lot of effort before the battle for the hills and trails of Guadalcanal was won. The squad was encamped for the night while he pondered that particular point.


	27. The Plasma Bugs of Guadalcanal

The Plasma Bugs of Guadalcanal  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Plasma fire exploded around the troopers charging up the ridge, proving lethal to anyone within it's blast radius. "Magnificent Starles," said Diennes, "The finest thing these old eyes have ever seen. Beautifully conceived, beautifully executed."

To take out the plasma bug positions atop the hill was proving to be a costly operation. Starles radioed Colonel Diennes and said, "I don't belive you fully understand the situation sir. The bugs are too well dug in, they've got too much firepower. My company alone cannot take this ridge."

"Starles, a frontal attack is our only alternative. The bugs hold the jungle, and the cliffs cannot be safely scaled, even with lizard lines." Diennes said.

A shout echoed, a shout carrying pain in it. Those who raised their heads saw an MI trooper clutching his abdomen, screaming. A stomach wound. "Help me!" came the shout.

"DiStefano, can you help him?" Barton said.

"Negative Sarge," said DiStefano, "He's too badly hurt. With all that screaming, plus the injury, he'll be lucky to be comatose by the time a skimmer gets here, even if we could land one. Plasma bugs are keeping air support away."

"Well, can't you at least get him quiet." said Barton.

"I can. If I can get a shot of morphine into him, it'll help, I can leave him three or four more for himself later on. We can pick him up later, if possible." said DiStefano.

"Do it." Barton replied.

DiStefano, dodging plasma blasts and gunfire from stolen weapons, reached the wounded soldier. "Relax, I came to help." said DiStefano, attempting to lift the man.

"F$%k you!" said the soldier, "I'm dying! I'm dying Doc!"

"Hold on, I'll get you to safety..." DiStefano said.

"Put me down! Put me down!" said the man, "Leave me alone!"

"Here." DiStefano said, "Take this, they'll help."

He left the morphine beside the trooper and went back to the company, a severely disturbed man. "DiStefano," said Starles, "I saw the whole thing through my field glasses, it was the bravest thing I'd ever seen. In the dispatch tommorrow I'm going to mention you with recommendations for the Silver Star..."

"LT, say one more word of thanks and I'll knock you right in the teeth. Then I'll resign my rating so fast and leave you to treat the wounded. Property, this whole damn mess is about property!" DiStefano exploded.

"Starles," came the communication, "Status report."

"Sir," said Starles, to Diennes, "We had a guy get his gut shot out on the ridge, it created quite an upset. Sir, there's a position up there, we can't see it, it's chewing my men to pieces."

"Acknowledged Starles," said Diennes, "Now attack."

"Sir, the time is 0930, I have two witnesses listening to what I just said. I suggest you do the same with witnesses here." said Starles, "I request permission for patrol reconaissance around and through the jungle. I believe the bug position can be taken by a maneuver their in force."

"Starles, don't pull this lawyer B.S. with me." said Diennes, "I know your a damn law professor. You attack now, with every man at your disposal. I want this ridge cleared by nightfall. That's an order, lieutenant."

"It's not your fault Joe, he's ordering you to." Barton replied, speaking to Starles as though he was still a runner on the University of Florida track team that Starles coached on the side.

"Hold out until I get there." said Diennes, "But if there are any extenuating circumstances regarding your actions I'm going to take that into accout."

Colonel Diennes' arrival was within the hour. "Get your helmet back on son, this is a battle, not a camping trip." he said to a nearby trooper.

"I don't know if you fully realize the importance of your mission, Starles." said Diennes, "Once the hills are cleared, the entire arachnid position in the South Pacific will be weakened. That means we can hold out from here for a long time if neccessary. I'm taking this off the record, Starles, but Intel estimates the bugs will expend ninety percent of their available forces to retake the South Pacific reigion, leaving thier queen vunerable. Guadalcanal may be the turning point of the war. Now I ask you one thing Starles, how many men do you think it's worth. Ten? Twenty? Fifty? A hundred?"

"I don't know sir." Starles replied.

"Are you prepared to sacrafice the lives of any of your men in this campaign? Lives will be lost in your company, Lieutenant. An officer must live with that reality every time he goes into the field, or he's a dud." said Diennes, "What about just Schultz? He's kind of a pointy headed liberal college kid, kinda arrogant, death would take him down a notch. Or Barton, your sergeant? Kinda keeps to himself, you think the squad will really miss him? What about Trigger, or DiStefano, or Fife?"

"I don't know sir." said Starles.

"You see, you hesitate. You can't do that Starles." said Diennes, "Maybe this island's worth your life. Or mine. An unpleasant truth of war, Starles, is that for every objetive, someone usually dies and/or gets hurt."

Later, Diennes selected seven men to go up to the ridge, in a covert attack to eliminate the bug position that was disrupting the atttack. Led by Lieutenant Kohl, the team consisted of Krul, Barton, Trigger, Fife, and two others from Kohl's squad. Andy Beyer, a blonde haired kid with well chisled features, and Susan Weinlein, a fairly tough looking girl from Philadelphia.

Sneaking in toward the position was no problem. Attacking it was. "Krul," said Kohl, "You and Trigger take the javelin missiles and prepare to fire on my mark. The rest of us will form a distraction. Go."

As soon as Krul and Trigger were in position, Beyer lobbed a hand grenade in front of the bunker. The Imposter Bugs that had taken human form manned the machineguns, firing at the MI forces, while others attacked with the weapons they were born with.

Trigger and Krul fired the javelins, taking down the plasma position, leaving the bunker without artillery support. Cut off, the occupants continued to fight.

Another squad of Imposters charged out of the bunker. DiStefano, his Morita's clip empty, pulled his pistol and drilled several of them down.

Barton added his shotgun fire to the mix with Kohl firing more rounds. Reinforcement arrived and the rest of the operation was a mop up. The arachnid banzai charge had been stopped cold and the plasma bugs of Guadalcanal were neutralized. All that remained was to mop up the survivors and soak up the bug counterattack and the queen would be vunerable.


	28. The Long Night

The Long Night  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The battle for the ridge was calming down into a mop up operation. "Look at 'em move!" said Diennes, "Look at 'em run. We've blown these bastards to hell!"

"Yes sir." Starles said, "I have a few recomendations for decorations I'd like to turn in..."

"Later Starles, later." said Diennes, "We'll get everything we can for these men. But we have to clear out the main Imposter Bug encampment."

"I don't mean to be a wet blanket sir, but we need water. Several of my men are suffering from the beginings of exhaustion..." said Starles.

"That's been taken care of, Lieutenant." said Diennes, whom Starles had first dismissed as a typical brasshat, who turned out to be a fair minded soldier who inspired confidence in his troopers. "Do you see the confidence in these men, do you see their new spirit. We've got to take advantage of it before something else saps their strength."

"Yes sir." Starles replied.

Sergeant Barton sat on a rock, supervising the transfer of water, food, and ammunition from the skimmers. Even the painfully young Trigger was showing a world weary expression on his baby face. Every one of these MI troopers had been exposed to unimaginable brutality during the Bug War and this being brought home made it even worse.

The edge of the jungle was home to activity as rations were distributed to the troopers and ammunition was being loaded into weapons. Smoke from numerous fires mingled with the mists of the jungle, creating a perfect atmosphere for ambush by Arachnids.

The troopers moved slowly and in a large group through the fog after linking up with Bravo Company. Bullets flew past Schultz and he fired his Morita into the fog, unsure if he hit anything.

Bullets flew by Barton, missing him. He could see Trigger and Arturo, on his right flank, tensing, preparing for the inevitable.

A line of Imposter Bugs moved silently toward the troopers, some of them taking human form, others still their hideous arachnid selves. Warcries echoed as the line struck the troopers.

The beginings of terrible fight followed. An Imposter dug it's talons into Private Vargas' chest, killing him outright. His squadmate, Chambers, gunned down the bug, only to be shot in the head by another Imposter.

Despite it's ferocity, the Arachnid attack did not have the backing of sufficient numbers and crubled. The bugs retreated toward their base, a network of tunnels underneath a full scale reconstruction of a Japanese camp used for reinactments of the Battle of Guadalcanal in World War Two.

The fleeing bugs were quickly gunned down by vengeful troopers. Arturo pulled his .357 as he ran through a crude lean to made of bamboo poles and palm leaves, he fired into six Imposter Bugs attempting to get into their burrow, killing them all. He tossed a grenade down the hole to add to the mayhem.

An Imposter came out to attack with it's talons and Barton drilled it through the head with his Morita. DiStefano was tending to a wounded trooper with Trigger watching his back.

Another group of Imposter Bugs poured from their holes, and charged. Arachnid warcries echoed into the clearing as they charged. Several were gunned down, but they inflicted losses on the MI forces as well.

Barton ran through another covered structure that served as a field hospital in the reinactments and shot down a bug that popped up from under a cot. He saw Andy Beyer get shot in the back as he ran by a structure that served as the radio room. An Imposter Bug in human form with a Morita was standing there. Barton fired again and the Imposter lay bleeding in the dust.

A trooper was shot in the side by an Imposter with a pistol, but Weinlein gunned it down. Krul was throwing grenades into holes and unoccupied structures.

Schultz aimed his Morita about, searching for a target. He found one hiding in a trench at the outer perimeter of the camp. He fired, killing the bug instantly.

From out of a clump of bamboo trees, another Imposter attacked, impaling a trooper through the back.

A few Imposters that had been either disabled or were stunned by grenades and trapped in human form were taken prisoner. One of them attempted to jump Arturo, "Get on the f$%king ground! Now!" he said, shoving the creature to the ground.

Arturo looked up, saw a sniper in a watch tower, and fired an explosive round that sent the sniper flying into a stand of palms.

A trooper running by was gunned down by a hiding Imposter with a Morita. Barton tossed a grenade into the crevice and the explosive detonated, killing the occupant.

An Imposter, sneaking by, tried to get inside a bunker, but Scultz spotted it and fired a mini-nuke down the hole. The explosion killed all the occupants instantly.

Barton was struck by a thought, straight out of a book he had read, The Thin Red Line 'This great evil. Where does it come from? How did it steal into the world? What seed? What root did it grow from? Who's doing this? Who's killing us? Robbing us of life and light? Mocking us with the sight of what we might have known? Is this darkness in you too? Have you passed through this night?'

The troopers, after the mop up was completed, were clustered around a branch of the river near the camp Barton lead them to for water. He remembered the time he had spent here on Guadalcanal before the war. Bathing in the waterfall half a mile down stream, as he had seen the natives do, swimming in the surf of the ocean, and just having all that time for thinking and reminiscing. In his mind he heard the same native chant that he had heard through many long nights on worlds as far away as Klendathu, Tophet, and Tesca Nemerosa.

This was yet another long night about to begin in the Bug War.


	29. Fade to Black

Fade to Black  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The Roughnecks arrived on Guadalcanal, their entry point into the queen's lair. Over 150 troopers were preparing marauders for the final infiltration.

Lieutenant Johnnie Rico noticed a taciturn, lightly tanned sergeant standing watch with two other troopers.

Barton saluted Rico and he said, "At ease, Sergeant."

"Congratulations on your promotion, sir." Barton said.

"Leonard, we're off duty." said Rico.

"Yes sir." Barton said.

Barton joined Rico and Flores at a table in the mess hall. "I see you two have gotten together." Barton said, a trace of sadness on his voice, as he remembered his own lonely state.

Sensing this, Dizzy said, "I know you're upset about Melissa, but keep in mind, not everything works out the way you want. Keep your chin up Lenny."

"Thanks Diz." Barton said.

Rico took Dizzy's hand, "With a little prompting from Carl, we got together." he said.

"Are you sure it wasn't the result of a cerebral push?" Barton said, with a small grin, "After all, Jenkins is a psychic."

"Who knows." Rico shrugged.

"Good luck you guys." Barton replied.

"Same to you, Lenny." said Rico.

Rico and Dizzy left, hand in hand, and Barton found himself feeling dejected and a little jealous of Rico. He took out Melissa's picture and gazed longingly at it. He knew she didn't love him and that she loved Alan and it hurt.

The Marauders were on the move and Lieutenant Starles called his men forth, "Alright, this is it troopers, the final battle. We're to serve as a distraction to the bugs here on Guadalcanal so that our friends in the garbage cans can get belowdecks, find the queen's chamber, and exterminate her."

Starles' squad and another squad, the one lead by Lieutenant Kohl, was embarking on this mission. They attacked a strangely lightly defended colony of warriors and were enroute to their second objective when they heard bug screeches all around them.

"Fife, radio SICON, tell them that..." said Starles.

"LT, the transmitter, our communications are being jammed." said Fife, "Some sort of anomaly."

"Go find out how it's happening, today." said Starles, "Arturo, Trigger, go with Fife."

"I'll go with them Lieutenant." Barton replied.

Starles nodded and Barton lead the other three men to the source where Fife reported the anomaly. There was a rippler smashing the relay station. Trigger gunned it down, but the rippler fired it's sharp thorns and struck Trigger in the stomach. Arturo grabbed Trigger, and dragged him to safety.

More screeches. Through the jungle canopy more ripplers appeared. From below, warriors tunneled into the fray. From the river came water tigers. From the trees, spiders.

"Someone's got to warn the LT." Barton said. They were hidden in a bamboo thicket, around the river bend from the arachnid horde.

"Who?" said Fife.

"Arturo." Barton said, "Run and warn the squad."

"Sarge, if I could pose a suggestion, Fife can run faster. He can warn the squad. I'll take Trigger and meet him there." Arturo replied.

"Right. You stay here, until you hear shooting. Then you take off running, following the river, and warn them." Barton said.

"Yes sir." said Arturo.

"Fife, go now." Barton said.

"Yes Sarge." said Fife.

Barton ran out and fired his Morita, downing several bugs. The warriors surged in an arachnid tide toward him and he kept firing and turned and fled at the last moment.

Barton ran through the jungle, the warrior bugs on his heels. He turned, firing more shots, killing more, but for every one he killed, more replaced it.

At the squad's position, Fife arrived with Arturo and Trigger in tow. DiStefano turned and said, "Fife, where's Barton."

Fife didn't say anything, his pale blue eyes were liquid, unblinking, his expression wooden.

"Fife?" said DiStefano.

Barton kept running until he reached a field of tall grasses. From the field came a mob of Imposter Bugs. He drew his shotgun and fired rounds into them.

The Imposter charged forward, and stuck it's talon into Barton's throat.

Leonard Barton remembered the time he had spent swimming among the Melanesian children of Guadalcanal, near the coral reef. He remembered the sense of peace, of calm, a break from his troubled life. His pain regarding Melissa faded to black in that idyllic setting.

Leonard Barton pitched backward, his helmet falling from his head, to the ground. The Imposter wiped it's talons clean of blood, like a praying mantis. To it, Barton was just another kill rather than a human being.

Barton's squad mates found him and gave him a proper burial. "You're finally at peace my friend." said DiStefano as he tied Barton's dogtags around the trigger guard of his Morita pushed into the ground muzzle first.

The queen had been defeated at a vast cost. Starles recalled this as the mop up operation which finished. There was Anthony Mazzola, the lover who died fighting; Leonard Barton, who had given his life for theirs; Heinrich Wenzl, whom in death was reunited with his wife; Sergeant Welsh, the man who died on Tophet, doing his job.

The sun set over the sea of white crosses, the graves of those killed in the South Pacific as the survivors marched to the skimmers, victorious, but feeling the pangs of loss.

The End?


	30. Ghosts of Guadalcanal

Ghosts of Guadalcanal  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

Melissa couldn't believe her eyes when she looked at the casualty reports that had just come in from the final battle for Earth. She may not have loved him, but that did not make his loss any less painful. She began to regret the times she had given him the cold shoulder so as not to lead him on. The name on the screen listing those killed or wounded was forever burned into her mind. Sergeant Leonard William Barton.

Alan was there when she had finished her last physical and she was released from the hospital. She had tears in her eyes and he instantly guessed what was wrong, "Melissa, I'm sorry about Leonard." he said.

"I may not have loved him, but he didn't deserve to die..." Melissa said, collapsing into his arms.

If Alan had any gift it was the ability to recognize when anyone needed cheering up. "I'm sorry too. But that's what war is. People die, good people. If I sound insensitive, I'm sorry, but both me and Leonard knew the risks when we signed up. Dying was one of them." Alan said.

Natalie, Melissa's room mate and best friend, joined them, "I'm sorry about Leonard." she said, taking Melissa in her arms, "If you need help, or support, I'm there. For yourself, visit Guadalcanal, visit his grave, trust me, it helped when my uncle died."

"Aren't you going to join the Habitat for Humanity effort to rebuild the villages in Guadalcanal?" said Alan.

Melissa nodded. "I'll go." she said, "I need to do this."

The skimmer flew to Rabaul, with the Habitat workers on it. A transport was taking them from Rabaul to Guadalcanal. Skippering the boat was none other than Jeff Gossard. Three other familiar faces were aboard, Johnnie Rico, Dizzy Flores, and Carl Jenkins. She also saw Leonard's mother and little brother. Samuel Barton had bought his farm, saving Rico's life.

They arrived, and helped various natives rebuild their homes. Melissa, Mrs. Barton, and Dizzy Flores were helping Rico and Jenkins clear away the remnant of a smashed nipa shack when Natalie came running into the clearing, her face ashen.

"Natalie?" said Mrs. Barton, "What's the matter?"

"You look like you've seen a ghost." said Melissa.

"Ghost...Leonard...saw it..." said Natalie, gasping for breath.

"Speak slower." said Dizzy.

"A ghost!" said Natalie, "A spirit. I don't know what I saw!"

It was somewhat odd that Natalie, normally unflappable, could come unglued. She claimed to have seen a ghost. "What did it look like?" Rico asked.

"He was wearing MI armor, I couldn't see his face, he turned around and ran when he saw me." said Natalie.

Melissa said, "Natalie, there's no such thing as ghosts. We know for a fact."

Jenkins spoke up, "Actually we don't know if ghosts exist or not."

"Keep talking." said Rico.

"Well, I felt a strange presence when we walked by the memorial park. It felt like a human presence, but faint, almost like a telepathic echo." said Jenkins.

They continued their work, with an odd feeling about them. "Mrs. Barton," Melissa said, "I can't say how sorry I am about Mr. Barton, and Leonard..."

"It hurts, but I'll be okay." said Mrs. Barton, "We Barton's, we've always been a military family. We haven't been much good for much else. Haven't been always that good at the fighting either. We lost almost the entire family in World War Two. We had the family head, and his five sons enter the war. The father, the oldest son, and his brother went to fight in Europe. The younger three fought in the Pacific. Only the oldest son came back."

"How did you meet Mr. Barton?" said Dizzy.

"I was being medically retired from the service and he was in the hospital, waiting for a report on his LT, who had been wounded in action." said Mrs. Barton, "He asked me to dinner, I agreed, and we hit it off from there."

"Why did they retire you?" said Melissa.

"My powersuit cracked on Titan and I was exposed to it's atmosphere. It's poisonous and it messed up my repiratory system." said Mrs. Barton, "That's why I'm rarely long winded."

That night, another person, Davey, had an encounter with a spectral presence. He wandered out of the dwelling they were staying in because he felt rather than saw the strange presence.

He saw it standing on the beach, it was human, but it was shimmering, hovering a foot above the ground. "Leonard?" said Davey. Despite his young age, Davey was not afraid.

He felt a hand touch him on the shoulder, "Take care kiddo." said the voice, a silent, spectral voice, but still recognizable as his big brother.

"Davey?" Melissa said, she had awakened to see him wander away from his mother's side.

The ghost vanished. "I saw him. I saw Leonard." said Davey.

"He's dead, Davey, how could you have seen him?" Melissa said.

"I saw a ghost." said Davey.

Carl Jenkins walked out of the house where the men were sleeping. "I did feel the same presence. It's not too distinctive..." said Jenkins.

"So there's a ghost. Is he haunting us?" said Melissa.

"I can't read it's mind." said Jenkins, "It's like trying to grab at fog. I know it's there, but that's all I know."

The sun rose over the horizon. Melissa stood at one white cross, in the memorial gardens, that read Sergeant Leonard Barton. "Leonard, I'm here. I'm so sorry for all those times I gave you the cold shoulder. I may not have loved you, but I still cared..."

She stopped in midsentance because she felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. She turned around, but saw nothing, for the spectral presence had disappeared from view.

Jenkins and the others appeared in the gardens. "You don't need to hide any more. Come out!"

The ghost became almost solid, and now recongizable as Leonard Barton, speaking from beyond the grave. "Why are you here?" said Jenkins.

"I guess I couldn't move on to the afterlife until I told the people dearest to me that I love you all. Mom, stay strong, Davey needs you more than ever. Davey, mind Mom, and keep on trucking kiddo, I may not be there in person, but know I am always with you in spirit. Melissa, I thank you for being so caring. You may not have returned my feelings, but I still wish you and Alan many happy years together. Rico, Diz, same to you. Jenkins, thanks for detecting me, so I can say this. Remember me always." Leonard said.

The clinging damp mist of dawn cleared away with the rising sun on Guadalcanal. And with it, the spirit of Leonard Barton departed to the Great Beyond, to Heaven, to the Afterlife.

The End.


	31. The Memorial

The Memorial  
>Martin Guiterrez<p>

The four years of lobbying had paid off in full. Many returned veterans, and many grateful civilians lobbied SICON to build a memorial to the deceased veterans of the Bug War.

The dedication was that day and many troopers and thier families were there to commemorate their deceased friends and loved ones.

For Joe Starles, the names of the dead were still fresh on his head. Sergeant Welsh, Heinrich Wenzl, Anthony Mazzola, Corporal Farley, and Leonard Barton. He was with his twenty six year old daughter, wife, and his daughter's fiance.

Edgar Schultz walked by the wall of names that surrounded a pedestal with the bronze statues of an MI trooper, a Fleet pilot, and a Skinnie. He walked past a group of several Skinnies that were clustered around the wall. He saw Anthony Mazzola's name among the many on the wall. 'So long Mazzola.' he thought.

Trigger, the youngest boy of Saber Squad, who had joined at seventeen, bumped into Lieutenant Rico, who was walking along with his wife, Isabelle Flores, six months pregnant.

"Sorry sir." Trigger said.

"It's alright." Rico said, as Trigger walked off to find his former squad mates. He saw Arturo, Fife, DiStefano, and Krul clustered near Starles.

Rico left behind a wreath with the name Jean Razak on it, with the signatures of the entire squad on it.

Dizzy ran into Melissa, who was carrying a three year old son. "Here for Leonard?" said Dizzy.

"I understand." said Rico, "You're here to say your last goodbye."

"How's the baby coming along?" Melissa asked.

"She's kicking again." Dizzy said. Melissa's little boy touched Flores' midsection.

"It's kicking Mommy." said the boy, "Let's name her Pearl."

"That's a nice name, sweety," said Melissa, transferring the child to his father's arms, "But maybe we should let Mr. and Mrs. Rico decide."

"Why?" said the little boy.

Alan Reinmann took the child as Melissa said, "I named you Leonard out of care for a man very close to me. Names should be given out of love."

The Sky Marshall gave a speech, "Today we are here to honor those men and women, no longer with us, who helped to ensure that human civilization would long continue. Those men and women, with their bravery, ensured the survival of the human race. This monument is but a token of our gratitude to they who are no longer with us. Ladies and gentlemen, as you walk to places they no longer can go, be not afraid to say you loved them. To the surviving veterans, I salute you all."

The speech concluded and the people continued their solemn vigil into the night...

The end.


End file.
